


Hollow

by blackwyvern



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Body Horror, Gaster Blaster AU, Kinda?, Underfell AU, Underswap AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-07
Updated: 2018-07-29
Packaged: 2018-08-13 13:18:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 84,847
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7978090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackwyvern/pseuds/blackwyvern
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When a mysterious Feral Monster shows up in New Home, things start to get a little crazy for royal guard Cadet Sans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

He kneels in the dust of the Alley, taking in the disturbed cobbles and scratch marks. Clear indications that someone or something commonly travels this way. Five claws on each foot, the step pattern a clear indication that this monster travels on all fours. He takes note of the depth of each print and the width between steps.

 

This isn't any normal monster.

 

The tracer beeping faintly in his palm is further evidence that he's on the right track. After a week of searching in this godforsaken back water cheerfully dubbed 'Underswap' the end is in sight. He stands, brushing the dust from his cloak.

 

Just outside the alleyway the citizen's of New Home pass by unaware of the feral beast hiding in their midst beyond rumors and speculation. A week of dead ends and nervous natives practically shrinking in his presence has left him in a foul mood.

 

He pulls the hood of the cloak down, not that it helps to hide him. Among these saccharine characters he stands out like a wolf among sheep, oozing aggression while they emit nothing but gentleness. His mouth twists in disgust and impatience.

 

The sooner he can drag that deranged lunatics miserable experiment back where it belongs the sooner he can stop wasting precious time.

 

If it wasn't too late already.

 

No, it was best not to think of the worst. He needed to focus on the task at hand. Since the creature commonly used this route, but wasn't seen during the day he'd have to prepare an ambush. He could try and trace the tracks through the network of alleys to wherever it was sleeping, but one look at the cramped space he'd have to fight in put him off that idea.

 

If this creature was as dangerous as he'd been led to believe then he needed to ensure an advantage and plenty of room to work with when the fight started. Taking in the alleyway, it's position to the main road and nearby buildings he smirked.

 

He'd be home soon.

 

**

 

Even in a world as peaceful as Underswap it was hard to imagine a more unlikely royal guard then Sans. Although he was just a trainee the short skeleton dressed in blue was optimistic and big hearted to the point of naiveté. Alphys often wondered why she'd agreed to train him, it wasn't that he lacked talent, just that he was too trusting...

 

He'd let a thief go with a simple promise that they 'wouldn't do it again'. Of course he'd also caught the thief when that promise had been broken but she'd never forget the disappointment on his face. There was no doubting his strength, or his tenacity. He'd make a fine royal guard, but she feared it would harden his heart beyond repair.

 

The idea of breaking such a gentle soul weighed heavily on Alphys as they trudged toward New Home.

 

"C'mon Alphys!" Sans called, "We're almost there!" Laughing he ran ahead of her, practically skipping as he went.

 

Alphys shook her head, chuckling in amusement. They'd been in the middle of a Hotland training session when she'd gotten the emergency text. The lieutenant working in New Home's detainment center had finally gotten a lead on the feral creature case.

 

For over a week they'd been getting reports of something stalking the streets at night. No one had been hurt, or gotten a clear look at it and the most it had done so far was minor property damage, but feral monsters were no joke.

 

In response they'd upped the night patrols since it was never spotted during the day, but the creature had been clever enough to avoid direct confrontation. That suggested intelligence and that made Alphys uncomfortable.

 

Apparently an unknown citizen, possibly frustrated with the lack of resolution, had decided to set an ambush for the creature. The results had been a spectacular amount of damage to one building, an injured prisoner who wasn't in any population records and a missing feral creature.

 

The thing had escaped during a blinding explosion and the guards had been unable to track it since. It seemed, the lieutenant had nervously conveyed, to have just vanished.

 

She watched Sans ahead of her, maybe she should have sent him home. It was too late now, she sighed, as they rounded the corner of the tunnel. Ahead, through a stone archway, the path dipped down below them into the bowl cavern that housed New Home.

 

From here you could see the capital stretching out all the way to the back of Mt. Ebott. It was an impressive sight, the cavern ceilings lined with magic powered lights to simulate daylight. At night they were dimmed low, imitating surface starlight.

 

Alphys felt the usual pang in her soul as she looked out over the capital. One day, maybe this city would get to see real starlight and real sunshine. Sans had ceased his excited run ahead, backtracking to stand properly beside his Captain as they headed toward the detention center together.

 

**

 

Sans regained his energetic stride as they entered the grounds of the detention center, he all but sprinted inside, holding the door open for Alphys with a salute. He was practically vibrating with excitement until Alphys brought him crashing to earth.

 

"Stay out here." She indicated the waiting room around them as she headed toward the back room with the on duty lieutenant who had been waiting for her.

 

Once the door shut behind them Sans allowed his characteristic smile to fall. He wasn't about to pout in front of his superior but it irritated him to once again be left out of the loop. He'd thought, this time for sure she'd let him stand in on the meeting and contribute to an ongoing case. Wasn't he practically a full fledged guard already? He'd been training for years now.

 

Fighting down the bitter resentment that came with knowing why Alphys was leaving him in the dark he decided to take a look at the now unmanned check in desk. _'Just to keep busy.'_ He told himself. The waiting room was eerily quiet, which wasn't unusual. The detention center was more a formality and a meeting ground for the Royal Guard then a regularly used facility.

 

The worst New Home or any of the other areas of the Underground ever saw was petty thievery, or the occasional drunken disagreement. As a whole monsters were a peaceful race. They took care of each other and resolved problems in a rational matter, even if that sometimes called for a guard mediator.

 

"Doesn't exactly keep it organized," Sans muttered, leafing through the scattered notes. The desk was littered with small piles of tickets, open files and office supplies. At the top was an open file, a keycard to the detention cells behind the desk tucked into the folder pocket.

  
Sans froze staring over the mugshot of the detained citizen, another skeleton monster? Not unheard of in New Home but...

 

The teeth were pointed, the eyes slanted, the lights red glowing pin pricks, the left bandaged tight, but even with all the differences the resemblance to Papyrus was....uncanny. Unnerved Sans, turned his attention to the rest of the file.

 

_"Subject apprehended during an altercation with the suspected feral monster. Suspect was engaged in battle with the target causing structural damage to a nearby item shop. Suspect was gravely injured, but conscious and refused to respond to questioning. The feral monster appeared to be a skeletal creature, possibly some sort of canid. Feral monster used a focused magic attack to damage the nearby shop, disappearing during the resulting explosion."_

 

A post it note hastily scrawled and stuck below the text read, _"A later sighting places the feral creature at the southwest exit of New Home. The creature appears to have traveled into the_ _Hotland tunnels_ _."_

 

That wasn't good.

 

The Hotland tunnels were a maze that had been dug years ago. The thought at the time had been that the magical barrier that kept monsterkind imprisoned might not extend to the mountains peak. King Asgore had ultimately canceled the project due to several accidents and concerns that further tunneling might cause the collapse of the liveable cavern areas.

 

Those tunnels had remained unused longer then Sans had been alive. If the creature had gone into them it would be nearly impossible to track. Still, it might not be hopeless... Sans stared at the mugshot of the prisoner, resolutely grabbing the keycard from the folder's pocket.

 

He had to start somewhere.

 

Entering the detention cell area was always uncomfortable due to the magic dampener. While it was a necessary precaution to keep detainees from using attack magic the sensation made Sans' bones crawl. The area was awash in light, the overhead bulbs dispelling even the smallest of shadows.

 

Rows of empty walled cells lined the sides of the corridor and toward the back Sans could hear an off key whistling. He approached slowly, taking his time and sucking in a deep breath before turning to face the bars. The monster inside was tall, perhaps even taller then Papyrus, dressed all in black with a heavy fur lined coat, a cloak over top of that. Scarlet gloves covered obviously pointed fingers.

 

Up close the resemblance to his brother made Sans' bone marrow itch.

 

The stranger stared at him, red eyelights widening in surprise. He seemed about to say something to Sans, but halted as the first syllable left his mouth, grinding his teeth down into a frustrated growl before rasping, "What do you want?"

 

The stranger may have somewhat resembled Papyrus in looks, but voice wise the two were different as night and day. Sans was glad for that. He didn't know how he'd react if they sounded similar. The thought alone made him deeply uncomfortable. Taking a deep breath Sans forced himself to look the stranger in the eyesockets. "The feral monster you were attacking, I need to find it before it gets hurt or it hurts someone. Please... tell me what you know about it."

 

Sans watched the stranger's face, he seemed impassive, unmoved, but there was a twitch to his eye sockets, a slight dim to the eye lights, a twitch to the mouth. A slew of emotions being processed and filed behind that seemingly unbreakable mask before he gave a harsh barking laugh, running gloved fingers over his bandaged head, "Why would I tell you anything?" He sighed, taking on a far off look, "Give it up kid, that monster would tear apart a soft weakling like you."

 

Indignant Sans huffed, "As a royal guard cadet this is my duty...." Under his breath he added, "And I'm not a kid."

 

This last bit seemed to catch the strangers attention, a black chuckle escaping his teeth, "You're awfully short for a guard cadet. Then again," He looked around the jail cell, "Considering the state of this...'detention cell'...I doubt a pip squeak like you has anything more troubling then a few raised voices to worry about. A soft cadet for a soft royal guard in a soft universe, it makes me sick."

 

"Soft universe?"

 

"Of course you wouldn't know," The stranger grimaced, "After all he kept me in the dark, and since I'm guessing you're the younger here why wouldn't you be kept in the dark as well."

 

"What are you talking about?" Sans blinked in confusion but the stranger seemed disinclined to answer, pulling the cloak hood over his face.

 

About to protest, to try and get some answer to his questions Sans was brought up short by a barked order, "Sans! Come away from there!"

 

Alphys stood by the open door, clearly irritated that Sans had disobeyed orders and left the waiting room. As he walked away from the cell the strange monster called out sadly, "Listen to me kid...Stay away from that thing. It's not something a soft hearted weakling like you can deal with."

 

He was tempted to run back but Alphys grabbed him by the arm, plucking the keycard from his hand before leading him out and locking the door behind them. "What do you think you were doing cadet?"

 

Sans gulped, Alphys only resorted to calling him 'cadet' and not 'Sans' when he'd well and truly crossed the line.

 

"Answer me cadet."

 

"Questioning the prisoner ma'am." Sans responded sharply, giving a proper salute.

 

Alphys sighed, rubbing the bridge of her snout; this kid was going to be the death of her, "Who authorized you to interrogate the prisoner cadet?"

 

"Uh... no one...ma'am." Crestfallen, Sans' gaze fell to the floor.

 

"Sans, I think that's enough training for today. You need to go home."

 

"What!? But Alphys.... Captain... ma'am, please, I can help! I might just be in training but I'm still part of the gua-"

 

"No, you aren't. You're not a full guard yet and this isn't a job for cadets."

 

"B-but Alphys, I ca-"

 

"Sans," She cut him off, "Take the ferry and go home. _**Now**_. This isn't a game; you aren't trained to handle this."

 

Biting back the urge to argue, Sans wrestled with his frustration. She was treating him like a child again instead of like the cadet he was. He was so sick of it. Wisely he kept his teeth shut on the very child like _'FINE'_ he wanted so badly to snap out. It wouldn't change Alphys mind when it was already made up and it would only make him look childish.

 

Snapping a quick salute Sans left without another word, but that wasn't going to be the end of it. For now he would obey orders and return home, he needed some supplies before tackling the Hotland tunnels anyway.

 

**

 

In the depths of the tunnels, after a thousand twists and turns and switch backs, in a pock marked cave filled with gravel, the creature lay. Wounded, red magic seeping from a thousand hairline fractures, and it's face radiating pain from the massive crack that ran upwards from it's left eye socket, it whimpered quietly.

 

Fear and pain were the first things it had any clear memory of.

 

Waking to dusty floor tiles...

 

...scorch marked walls...

 

...a dormant blackened machine that made it's soul twist and flip in fear....

 

Every part of it had ached and burned. With no memory of how it had gotten there, where it even was, or what it was, only one thought had burned clear in it's mind...

 

Escape.

 

Running from the room it had found a way out by climbing a wall and ripping through an air vent. Up and out it had emerged to streets, stone buildings, the sound and smell of hundreds of monsters. Hissing in terror it had run into the darkest alleys seeking the most out of the way abandoned places.

 

For the better part of a week that had been it's life. Hiding by day when all was overwhelming noise and smell, only venturing out when the strange overhead cavern lights dimmed to shadowy night. The residents shut their doors then, few venturing out without some specific business; and those were easy to avoid.

 

It had subsisted off garbage and stolen food for that entire time, wondering as it listened to the monsters call each other in their homes unaware of the creature lurking outside their door, did it have a name?

 

Somewhere, deep in the skeletal frame it thought maybe it did, or it had, but when it dwelt too long on what that name might be it's soul would twist and beat erratically, it's head pounding painfully in time. So it stopped, it was better not to think at all. Better to just sleep and live, and for a time it even felt satisfied with that...

 

...And then the cloaked monster had attacked it.

 

It had grown complacent, lazy and content, the alley was it's usual route out of it's favorite hiding spot, a cozy old shed that smelled of age and dust. The last thing it had expected, as it moved quietly in the shadows, dreaming of the restaurant a short ways off and it's delicious trash offerings, was to be sprung on from above.

 

The cloaked monster had attacked mercilessly using glowing red bones, that splintered into sharp shards when they hit. It had seen the attack for what it was, a ruse to herd it into a dead end, so it had rushed it's attacker, taking a bone to the face as it bowled him over.

 

That hadn't stopped the fight, even as it had run away. Desperately it sought to lose it's pursuer as more attacks had been hurled at it, until finally it felt cornered. With no choice, it turned and had lashed out, fighting back, but nothing seemed to phase the cloaked monster. Even when he took a claw swipe to the face.

 

Worse the fight had drawn attention. Monsters hung out of windows to stare down at the battle and it could hear the pounding of armored feet on the stones. It's wounds burning and it's foreleg weakened from the fight, it had finally resorted to a laser blast. The metallic taste of the energy had seared it's throat. While it's attacker and the onlookers were blinded, it had leapt through space as far as it could in a teleport..

 

It had been to the outer streets of the city before, scouting and learning the territory at large, and now it used that knowledge to weave through this darkened side of town. It forcefully pried an old board from the sealed tunnel and slipping inside it had run for what felt like an eternity. Until finally it's foreleg screamed for rest.

 

Exhausted it had found this defensible nook, the tunnels pitch black, and the only source of light coming from it's red eye lights. The tunnels smelled of earth, with no whiff of another monster nearby. Finally it felt safe enough to rest and heal. Settling down it's eye sockets drifted closed, the throbbing pain dulling as the need for sleep overwhelmed it.

 

**

 

_"You understand the risks involved I assume?" The spindly monster in black smiles, toothless, his voice barely above a soft whisper. The slide of it through the air is like oil on water, sticky, clinging to everything that hears it. He fights down a wave of revulsion and forcefully reminds himself why he's here._

 

_He knows this could end badly, but he can't be a burden anymore. His brother is strong and he deserves someone just as strong to help him survive in this shitty world. It's kill or be killed and right now he knows he's a weak link in his brother's chain._

 

_Gritting his teeth he snarls back, "I know what I'm asking, so can you do it or can't you? It's a simple fucking question."_

 

_His vulgarity makes that toothless smile curl up and his soul starts screaming at him to run, go back, leave this lab behind. He stays, resolute, grinding his heels into the floor in defiance of his own weakness. The figure seems to ponder a moment, fingers lacing together, "It's not a matter of can or can't, it's a matter of time....and your will to live, of course. What you're asking is experimental, I can't guarantee your survival, especially considering your current... physical limitations."_

 

_He would be offended except he knows that those physical limitations are what brought him here in the first place. Growling he offers the spindly figure his hand, "Whatever it takes doc." He fights back the urge to rip his hand away as those deceptively frail fingers close around it, "Whatever it takes."_

 

_"Wonderful." The doctor's smile widens, "Simply wonderful."_

 


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2 

The river displayed it's usual calmness as the river person pushed off the Hotland dock. Sans fidgeted and had to forcefully keep himself seated. The urge to leap back to the retreating bank and head immediately to the tunnels nearly overpowering him. 'Patience,' he reminded himself. It had never been his strong suit, that had always been Papyrus' approach to problems. Sans was a feet first kind of guy.

He watched the dock disappear as they rounded a curve in the rivers path and exhaled in relief. Now he had to follow through as originally planned. He watched the banks of Hotland slip by, and as they left the heated tunnels behind he rubbed his arms. Waterfall was never as cold as Snowdin, but the sudden change in temperature always gave him a momentary chill.

As the water and now jewel encrusted rocks passed him by, Sans began to calculate. Papyrus should be on sentry duty at this time of day and if he wasn't the lazy bones was likely sleeping. Hopefully not at home. For all that Papyrus slept a lot he tended to be a light sleeper and Sans wanted to do this as inconspicuously as possible.

The feral monster might be injured, but at the very least the thing had to be terrified from the attack on it. It wasn't likely to move from the tunnels any time soon and Sans figured that would be Alphys conclusion as well. She would probably send someone to watch the entrance to the tunnels on the New Home side, but there was a very small exit that existed on the Hotland side.

It was far up a cavern wall, meaning you had to climb to get to it, and in addition it was a pretty narrow opening. Alphys probably would send someone to at least check on the exit, and probably patrol the area, but since there were numerous tunnels between the two points it was unlikely the feral monster would even try to get out that way. If Sans was careful he should be able to slip past the one or two guards she might station in the area and make it inside.

The thought of the tunnels made him shiver. When Sans was young, he and Papyrus had often been in Hotland. The reasons why always escaped him and were fuzzy. Sans never bothered to dwell on it, the fuzziness made him uncomfortable, his soul giving a slight lurch. Papyrus had often wandered off trying to find out of the way places to nap. Sans had discovered the entrance to the Hotland tunnels one day while trying to find out where his brother had gotten to this time.

He'd gotten lost for hours in the dark until finally he'd just started wailing, convinced that he would never see his brother and....someone...again. Eventually, hungry and tired, the smell of tacos had wafted through the tunnels. Sans had followed it back to the narrow entrance, where his brother, with food in hand, had looked thoroughly ashamed. Papyrus had been scolded, again by someone Sans couldn't really remember. Probably a caretaker, and from then on his brother had always been incredibly easy for him to find.

The boat coming to rest on the Snowdin dock with a solid thump, pulled Sans from his thoughts. He gave a quick wave to the river person as he leapt off the boat and sped through the snow, slipping on a few hidden patches of ice. 

If food had gotten Sans out of the tunnels, he reasoned it might make pretty good bait for a frightened feral monster as well.

**

Papyrus was sleeping. Or rather he was trying to sleep. He'd only managed a fitful doze so far. He rolled over for what must have been the dozenth time that morning and stared blearily at the wall. The drawn blinds were thick enough to drown out the light, leaving nothing but deep muted shadows. Even that didn't seem to help; he swore he could feel the slow creep of time over every inch of his bones.

'It wasn't real.' He sternly reminded himself.

The mantra felt flat and stale. Because while last night might've just been a round of half remembered nightmares, in some forgotten past it had been very real. It had been so long now. Months of time he had never 'lived' through before but instead of being comforted he felt tense. Part of him expecting the human to walk through the ruins door any day now, and every day it didn't happen seemed to make it worse. Today he just...couldn't... The possibility that it might happen...the possibility that it wouldn't happen...had just, shut him down. So after hearing Blue leave that morning he just hadn't done anything.

Sighing he rolled onto his back. He really should move that damned machine.

The sound of movement downstairs reached him. He could hear the sharp clink and clatter of dishes and someone trying, and failing, to be stealthy in the kitchen. Sitting up he strained his hearing. Even before the suppressed and distinctive laughter of his brother reached him he knew who it was.

Sans was back extremely early, that training session was supposed to have lasted all day and well into the evening. He wondered if Alphys had finally made good on her promise. Papyrus considered closing his eye sockets and making another attempt at drifting off, but he really should check on Sans first.

Lacking the energy, or motivation for a teleport, Papyrus dragged himself out of his room. He was glad he'd fallen asleep with his clothes on last night. Pausing on the stairs, he heard Sans chuckling and humming an upbeat tune in the kitchen. He sounded, happy, determined. Papyrus sighed, fingers flexing on the banister, 'Another day, another broken promise.'

So if Alphys hadn't yet kept her end of things, why was Sans back already?

"Perfect!" Sans chirped.

"What's perfect?" Papyrus said, leaning on the kitchen door frame and half heartedly stifling a yawn.

Sans froze, startled by his sudden appearance. Taking in the scene before him, Papyrus noted that the fridge was wide open while a half opened backpack sat on the counter stuffed to the zipper with Tupperware From experience he knew those opaque plastic annoyances were stuffed with taco meat and his brothers various attempts at cooking.

Hastily Sans started zipping up the backpack, "I was...ummm just... packing some dinner. Alphys...uhhhh...decided to extend my training overnight. What are you doing home anyway? You're supposed to be on sentry duty," Sans huffed.

Papyrus sighed at the obvious change in subject, his brother had never been particularly good at subtlety, "I was feeling bone tired this morning so I skipped it."

Groaning Sans turned a glare on him, "Really Papyrus? A skeleton pun? It's 9:30 in the morning."

"Always time for the classics. They are the backbone of comedy after all."

Sans' head hit the countertop with an audible thwack, as he covered his non existent ears, "PAPYRUS!!! It's too early for this!"

"Like it's too early for you to be home," Papyrus said, getting straight to the point, "As you said it's 9:30. What happened Sans?" 

Bitter disappointment flooded Sans' voice, raising Papyrus' hopes, "Captain Alphys had some royal guard business come up. No cadets allowed. Apparently, my training hasn't prepared me for it, she said."

Hopes tasting like bitter ash as they died, Papyrus pulled a cigarette pack from his hoodie. He collapsed into a kitchen chair, carefully extracting a single one while keeping eye contact with Sans. Ignoring the bark of protest he lit the end, taking a long deep drag from it. Sans hated when he did this, stared at him like he could see through everything. And in a way he could, his brother never changed.

He let the tension mount, flicking cigarette ash into a tray, "So what's all the food for then?"

"I uh..." Sans hemmed, "I decided to do some training on my own."

"Enough food stuffed in there for a small army. Or yourself for a month at least. Taking an extended trip?" Papyrus asked, eyeing the closed backpack suspiciously.

"....No...I just...wanted to be prepared." Sans grinned, "Better too much then too little!"

Papyrus sighed, his brother's dodging far too much of a mental drain on him right now. He weighed his options. He could simply let it go and follow Sans discreetly, he'd done it before during a particularly bad week of constant nightmares. This exhausted though, he was bound to slip up, and the last time that had happened it had put a massive strain on their relationship.

They hadn't spoken for weeks after that and Papyrus wasn't interested in going through it again. With a sigh he settled on a more direct approach, "Sans seriously, what happened? Alphys..." This was a long shot and he doubted it from his brothers upbeat mood, but no harm in asking right, "She didn't kick you out of training....did she?"

"What?!" Sans sputtered in annoyance, "She didn't kick me out, she just sent me home early to deal with a prisoner."

A chill ran down Papyrus spine, had it actually happened? Was the wait over? He couldn't help the mix of relief and fear washing over him. In disgust he asked, "It's not a human is it?"

"No and if you hadn't left your post you'd know that." Sans huffed, "There was a fight between this guy and a..." Sans paused, with a sigh he gave in, it was too early in the morning for this, "...a feral monster, okay. They caught him but the feral escaped into the Hotland tunnels."

Sans intention suddenly became clear as crystal, "Bro, no, a feral monster isn't a joke, it's not like that stray cat you brought home when you were five."

"I know that Papyrus!" Sans glared, "It's been in New Home for a week now, but this is first time anyone's really gotten a good look at it. It hasn't been aggressive before this at all. I think... I think it's scared, and now it's hurt."

"Sans-"

"I'm doing this Papyrus, whether you like it or not."

Papyrus groaned in frustration, head resting in his palms, he hated when Sans got like this. Utterly determined and unmoving, his brother never listened to reason when it really counted. How many times had it gotten hi-

He halted that train of thought, pushing it down. Best not to think about it or he'd just go fall back into bed. 

"I'm not a child Pap, not anymore." Sans said, gently resting a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"I know that." Papyrus sighed, "But that doesn't mean you aren't in over your head."

"UGH," Sans growled, throwing up his hands, "You sound just like him!"

Papyrus blinked, "Like who?"

"Alphys prisoner, 'Give it up kid, that monster would tear apart a soft weakling like you' and 'A soft cadet for a soft royal guard in a soft universe, it makes me sick', " Sans mocked, trying to pitch his voice deep enough, "Why can't you trus-"

Papyrus sat stone still, his back ramrod straight.

"Papyrus?"

"I-It's nothing," Papyrus faltered, mind racing a mile a minute.

"Look bro, that monster never hurt anyone, and now it's lost, injured and probably starving. We were like that once too, remember?"

Papyrus did remember all too clearly. He'd been almost a full adult at the time, but they'd had a hard couple of years, just two more kids slipping through the cracks. It hadn't helped that everyone they'd known and called family was essentially gone. If Muffet hadn't given him the job in Snowdin who knows where they would've ultimately ended up.

Some days he bitterly thought it might've been better if they'd never been saved.

"Alright Sans," Papyrus sighed, "You win."

Sans grinned cheerfully, "I kne-"

"But I'm going with you."

"What?! Oh c'mon Papyrus!" Sans whined.

**

It woke with a start, snapping into awareness, senses straining in the dark. Tension shook through it's every bone, as the persistent dreams clung to it's consciousness. The voice, sticky, intrusive, dripping with ill concealed malice, seemed to repeat over and over in its mind. It began to scratch at some old pockmarks and healed chips along it's radius and ulna absentmindedly. A desperate attempt to distract itself as the dream faded.

It was always the same. These intrusive dreams rattling it from sleep even when it had been in the city. Its strained senses brought nothing to it but the oppressive heaviness of rock tunnels, and a far distant popping noise.

How long had it slept? It was hard to tell in the dark with its red eyelight the only source of illumination. It didn't smell anyone, just dust and dirt. The cloaked monster must not have followed it. That was good, very good. It licked a few of the long cracks it had sustained during the fight. They weren't bleeding magic anymore, but its bones still ached and stung. 

Too frightened of it's dreams to return to sleep, the creature stood shakily, it's soul twisting in hunger. It sniffed the air again, but it was clear, there wasn't any food in these tunnels. Slowly it began to move, creeping out of the recessed cave and into the tunnel proper, stealthily placing one foot in front of the other.

Its dreams would've normally faded by now, but the all encompassing dark of the unlit tunnels only seemed to replay them over and over. It slammed it's eye sockets shut, trying to push the images out. When it opened them again a face, elongated, white, with a gaping black mouth, sharp teeth, cracks along the skull made the voice in its head rise in pitch. Screeching in fear it ran, barreling headlong down a different tunnel, banging into the walls as it turned. 

It ran until exhaustion finally caught up with it. Standing in the tunnel its bones rattled as it's rib cage heaved in a mockery of breathing. The air coming in and out in whistling gasps between it's fangs. Its attention was drawn to a sliver of orange light. Shakily it began to move towards it, claws clicking and scraping. It barely had enough energy to move.

Around the tunnel bend was a crack, heat radiated out of it, raising the temperature of the cool stone, and the sounds of popping and bubbling lava became louder. 

'....Hotlands lava is a perfect geothermal power source for the core, it's just also a pain in the ass. Too much heat and the core overloads, so they have to use ice from Snowdin and shit. The only good thing about the whole setup is that the courier work between the two pays pretty well. It would have to considering how often it requires dealing with that lunatic...'

Flashing thoughts and images, worse than any half remembered nightmare rose in its mind accompanied by blinding pain. It's skull on fire, the creature shook it's head desperately trying to clear it. 

'...go away... ....go away...' 

'Hiding in Hotland, chased from the capital they hunkered down in the tunnel. They'd tried to pickpocket gold from the wrong monster, desperation driving them to greater risks.'

'....Dead, they were dead.... They watched in horror as the Vulkin dissolved before them, sticky dust littering the floor.'

"Put my brother down!"

"I don't need you to protect me."

"Damnit why don't you fucking listen for once."

"SANS!"

Screaming in agony the creature slammed it's head against the rock, 'stop, stop, stop, STOP!' Snarling and continuing to scream it ripped at it's skull, claws digging into the crack above the eye socket, stabbing physical pain pushing the burning sensation back briefly.

It had to get away from here, had to get out, the opening ahead was too small, it couldn't get out that way, it couldn't go back to the city, 'New Home', it had to get away from the heat and bubbling that seemed to pull at its mind. Something important, something it forgot.

In its mind came images of dripping water, the sound of a river, somewhere cool. Blue flowers, soft whispers. Thirst burned in it's soul, it had to get out. Stepping forward blackness engulfed it, startled, it. It slipped as its claws came down on slick black stone instead of heated rock. It pitched forward into a lake of blue water, the how or why of what had occurred driven out of its mind as it greedily began to drink.

Sated the creature looked around, the roar of waterfalls engulfed the area; several dropping into this seemingly secluded underground lake. The ground, now that it had pulled itself out of the water was covered in blue flowers. They whispered softly, a million voices speaking in unison. It should have been unnerving, instead the white noise seemed to drown out the terror it felt and above the soft twinkle of gem stones shone like stars.

Something niggled at its mind, another thought that was familiar and alien all at once, but the whisper of flowers downed it out. This was good; this was safe. It's soul twisted and gurgled again, and its bones shook with fatigue. Nausea overwhelmed it and a moment later it vomited, sickly red magic marring the black earth.

Tired and shaky it just wanted to sleep. But it's mind whispered softly that here was too exposed. 'Not here, not yet'. Weakly it began to move again, a memory of eggs and warm pastry in a hidden place, drove it forward, step by shaking step.

**

They appeared with an audible 'pop' into Hotland and Sans had to fight down momentary nausea. Disorientated he rubbed his skull to drive out the dizziness. He'd never understood how Papyrus always seemed so unfazed by teleporting. The sudden increase in temperature from Snowdin was already making him break out into a sweat.

Papyrus had already taken out another cigarette. He lit it, swiftly pulling a deep drag off of it. Sans hated that habit, but at least out here the strong smell of sulfur blocked the noxious smell of ash and smoke. Not that it was much better, he never could understand how Alphys never seemed to notice it.

They headed off together at a slow pace, Sans watching out for guards as they made their way toward the cliff that contained the back entrance. "Even when we were kids I never understood how you don't just melt here. Especially in that getup." Sans sighed, eyeing his brother's orange hoodie. 'That thing seriously needs a wash.'

Papyrus shrugged, puffing on his cigarette, "I just lava it."

"Pap please don't." Sans groaned, it was way too early for this. He should have agreed not to go and then snuck out later. Papyrus would've eventually gone to Muffet's or something, he couldn't have shadowed Sans all day long. The only problem with that was the concern that the guards might be in the middle of checking that back entrance by the time Sans arrived. 

Using the vents they traversed Hotlands easily, pausing momentarily for some water. "You couldn't have teleported us closer?" Sans grumbled for the sixth time.

"It was a bit out of range." 

Papyrus had been mostly silent throughout the trip, offering short answers or none at all and making little conversation. Sans recognized it for what it was. A sign of his brother being preoccupied and that worried him. Papyrus might be having second thoughts.

Honestly Sans was starting to have second thoughts too. Not about finding the feral monster, he still wanted to do that, but what they would do when he did. Depending on how big it was, since the report hadn't gone into much detail, getting it through the small entrance might be difficult, especially since they were trying to avoid attention. 

Could they even use it to get in?

Neither Sans nor Papyrus had been back to the tunnels in years. The entrance had been a tight fit as children, what if they couldn't get through now? If that was the case could Papyrus teleport them inside the tunnel proper? And could he teleport himself, Sans and the creature back out again when they found it?

Papyrus nudged him. "Having second thoughts? there's no shame in turning around bro."

"Yes there is." Sans huffed, "I'm just...thinking ahead."

"Maybe you just don't have a-head for planning?"

"...That was terrible."

Papyrus shrugged, "It's early."

Sans rolled his eyes, returning his focus to their surroundings. The bubbling of lava and hiss of steam was an ever present background noise in Hotland. They passed a resident or two, but for the most part the cavern roads were quiet today. That could mean that Alphys already had guards patrolling the area and alerting citizens.

He glanced sidelong at Papyrus, eyeing his brother, had he purposely delayed them? After agreeing to go it had seemed to take forever for Papyrus to prepare to leave. At the time Sans had been impatient and eager, but Papyrus had assured him the time lost would be made up by teleporting.

No, he couldn't think his brother would purposely sabotage his efforts. Could he? Sans fought not to grind his teeth, the truth was Papyrus could and he knew it. He'd seen the email after all. Oh yes he knew all about Papyrus' contacts with Alphys. His soul twisted blackly before he stopped himself.

This wasn't the time to think about it. Papyrus was here, and purposeful delay or not Sans was determined to make it to the tunnels and find that feral monster. He'd deal with the how when they got there and actually found the creature.

If they found it.

As they rounded the path Sans hugged the cavern wall. They were close to the cliff now so it was best to be cautious. The sounds of heavily armored footsteps alerted Sans to the guards before he saw them. He pressed against the shadowed wall tightly. He hated to do this, he really did. This sort of sneaking around behind his captain's back felt wrong. But he'd never get either Alphys or Papyrus to realize how capable he was if he let them continue to dictate terms.

Papyrus snuffed out his cigarette on the rock wall as the guards continued onward. "We should wait a minute. Make sure they're past." He whispered.

"Why would we need to? You can just teleport us up there." Sans said, eyeing his brother again. 'He's up to something.'

"I'm too worn out for that."

"Worn out or disinterested?" Sans accused, patience growing thin.

Papyrus shrugged in response, pulling another cigarette from it's pack.

"Papyrus," Sans hissed, fighting to keep his voice low, "You promised you'd help me."

"I didn't say that, I just said I was coming with you," Papyrus countered, purposefully looking away.

"Why the hell did you insist on coming if you weren't going to help?" Sans said, fighting even harder to keep his voice down, his anger causing him to curse.

"Because someone has to keep you from getting hurt."

"And there it is." Sans snapped, "I'm not stupid Papyrus, I wasn't going to fight that thing if it was aggressive."

"You don't know what that thing is capable of," Papyrus fired back, "Someone has to make sure it doesn't sneak up on you in the dark and dust you, or would you rather just disappear on me?"

"That thing has been in the capital for a week Papyrus, a week. In all that time it hasn't attacked a single monster."

"That you know about." Papyrus said, "Might I remind you that thing could've killed someone and it wasn't reported? That people might've thought someone just 'fell down'? Especially if there were no signs of a struggle because it snuck up on them?" He lit his cigarette, looking away from Sans and up toward the cavern wall, muttering quietly, "Not like it hasn't happened before."

"Okay that's it, I am sick of everyone talking circles around me and thinking they can treat me like some sort of babybones," Sans snapped, "I'm not a kid anymore Papyrus, and you don't get to keep treating me like one! So enough! Stop muttering under your breath all the time, and acting like I wouldn't understand."

"You wouldn't!" Papyrus snapped at him, "I could explain it to you, I have explained it to you, a dozen times, it doesn't matter. You always do what you want."

"Because you never explain anything to me! You think you do, but all you really ever say is that my decisions are wrong."

"That's not what I said, that's not what I'm-"

Their argument was interrupted by a reverberating scream from the tunnel entrance opposite and above them. It echoed, rattling the stone and seemed to go on forever. All Sans could hear out of it was pain. Horrible, shattering pain. A smell of burning magic permeated the air, overpowering the sulfur as the scream was abruptly cut off.

Sans ran forward, the sound seeming to draw him like a beacon, "Papyrus?!" He called back to his brother, stopping as he noted the stricken look on his face.

"Papyrus?" Sans moved back, his brother was unresponsive, staring wide socketed up at the crack. "Papyrus what is-"

In a flash Papyrus was gone, leaving behind a tang of burned magic and the rushing pop of air. Sans was alone in the tunnel junction. The sounds of armored boots pulled him from his shock and Sans bolted; away from the junction, back the way he and Papyrus had originally come. He couldn't possibly get in now, and from the familiar smell of burning teleportation magic, it was obvious the feral monster was gone.

But gone where? Further back into the tunnels? Back to New Home? Sans hadn't even known it could teleport. The report he'd glanced at hadn't mentioned it at all. In fact the only monster he'd ever seen with that ability was his brother. And where the hell did Papyrus go?

Sans hated to curse, even internally, but in this situation he felt justified because Papyrus always did this. He always kept him in the dark, he always went behind his back, he always treated him like a child. He didn't need to be coddled, he didn't need to be 'sheltered from the reality of being in the guard', he didn't need his brother's protection. 

He needed his support.

'"After all he kept me in the dark, and since I'm guessing you're the younger here why wouldn't you be kept in the dark as well."'

He felt his soul twist in frustration. Even a stranger seemed to know, somehow, that Papyrus couldn't move past Sans being his kid brother. And what was Sans doing about it? Trying to appease Papyrus by playing innocent to his brothers coddling. Was that working? Was pretending he didn't know all about Papyrus' little conversations with Alphys really proving to anyone how capable he was? They were never going to acknowledge him were they? They were never going to see him as anything but a child.

Sans stopped dead in his tracks, soul seeming to plummet into the now black earth beneath his feet. There wasn't a diplomatic way out of this, was there? Around him the whisper of echo flowers seemed to mock his thoughts. He looked up and realized his flight had taken him all the way to Waterfall. Ahead the river rushed in the darkness below, a narrow wooden bridge the only immediate crossing. He needed to think. With a sigh and a shift of his backpack he started off.

He knew the perfect spot.

**

Alphys was running out of patience. Considering her position as Captain of the royal guard and the fact that she personally was training someone as exuberant as Sans, that was no mean feat. She leaned back on her stool, eyeing her captive with a carefully schooled expression. They had been at this for the better part of the day with nothing to show for it.

All their talk had boiled down to evasions and deflections on her captives part. He had managed to keep up a steady stream of meaningless banter until recently, but for the last thirty minutes they'd simply sat, silently, staring at each other. 

"Is that it then?" He chuckled, finally breaking the prolonged silence. His lack of respect grated like sandpaper across her raw nerves. 

Alphys is unable to still the twitch of her tail, as it sharply slaps on the stone floor. It's the only outward sign of how agitated she really is. "I'd rather not resort to more...creative measures." She says. It's not a threat she makes lightly, the thought churning her stomach.

"Oh please." He sneers, calling her bluff, his sharpened teeth coming together in a loud click, "I've been here long enough to know none of you have the spine for anything really creative." He frowns slightly, seemingly perturbed by his own choice of words.

He's not entirely wrong though, and the fact that he has Alphys so pegged makes her teeth grind in frustration. It's not that she couldn't, it's not that she wouldn't, it's how much it would cost her and anyone else who assisted. It's the amount of days off she'd need to stomach that she'd done what was necessary. 

"You see," He smirks, taking her continued silence as an admission of weakness. He pulls his cloak in closer before absently running a gloved hand over the fur trim on the jacket he's wearing underneath it. It's a tick she's come to realize he's repeated almost any time he felt superior or self important during the exchange. His smirk falls as he notices the slight shift in her focus.

"A cloak and a jacket," She stresses in a bored tone, "That can't be comfortable here in New Home. Seems more appropriate for somewhere like Snowdin."

"How sweet," He hisses, "Concerning yourself with my comfort."

She watches his hands closely, noting how they tense over the leather jacket sleeves. "That jacket." She says softly, "It's obviously important to you."

He tenses, spine going rigid and she knows she's found her crack in his armor. He snarls defiantly, sockets narrowing. With the dampener in full effect the most he can pierce her with is a glare, but it's obvious he's imagining something far less benign. "Don't even think about it," He says icily, clutching the leather tight enough to creak. 

A smirk settles on her lips, "You're not exactly in the best shape," She reminds him, "Maybe I should hold on to it for safe keeping while your injuries heal."

"Don't you dare!" He shouts, his soul pulsing with the attempt to summon his magic. The magic disperses in a fizzy hiss and he bites back a yelp of pain from his jostled injuries. Sweat is beading down his skull, and the effort of attempting the magic attack has left him panting. Still his red eyelights focus on her with that same defiant stare.

"How about we have a civil conversation then?" She offers.

He snarls again, his teeth grinding together in frustration, and she knows he understands completely now. He's at her mercy, and being creative doesn't necessarily mean violence, she can do worse. Even so, she can see his stubborn pride refusing to budge, "Why don't you just fuck off."

With a frustrated sigh, Alphys stands, she needs a chance to regroup, and maybe a late lunch. "I'll give you some time to reconsider, Fell."

"Fell?" He snorts, "What sort of name is that?"

"I thought it appropriate for a Felon who won't even give me his actual name." Alphys replies, shutting the door forcefully behind her.

The prisoner sits for several moments, staring at the shut door and savoring the feel of this Captain Alphys' frustration. And although the pulsing thrum of the magic dampener still resonates through the room, 'Fell' can't help but smirk in satisfaction. He's won this round at least.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D Hello everyone! Thanks for reading and, to those who are returning for Chapter 2, welcome back! I've been loving seeing all the kudos emails, they make me squee. I appreciate your patience and just as a note updates are probably going to be slow.


	3. Chapter 3

_"It's stupid." Papyrus muttered, looking back towards the fast flowing river. Sans had dragged him out to their secluded spot all because his little brother had been acting off. Papyrus slouched down drawing scratch marks into the dirt._

 

_Sans sighed, "Just spit it out already."_

 

_"Promise you won't laugh?"_

 

_Shrugging Sans leaned backward, the cool stone of the cavern wall seeping through his sweater._

 

_Papyrus took this noncommittal attitude as an insult, huffing and grinding his already sharpened teeth together. It didn't remotely come off as intimidating. "Sans! Promise me!"_

 

_"Fine, fine," He said, waving vaguely in his brother's direction, "I promise."_

 

_"I want to be in the royal guard."_

 

_Sans blinked rapidly as the words registered, he snorted, breaking into sputtering laughter. Papyrus was tiny and the least intimidating monster he'd ever seen in Underfell._

 

_Shooting up off the ground Papyrus stomped his feet, the ridiculous display of childishness making Sans laugh harder, "Sans! You promised!!" Papyrus shouted, "You'll see! I'll be in the guard one day and I'll be even stronger then you!"_

 

**

 

Groaning the feral monster tried to stand. From the flower place it had once again stepped into the darkness but this time when it emerged in its new location it had collapsed. The dream was fading now as it regained consciousness, its head pounding in time with the pulse of its' soul. It felt like it's skull was going to split open, its' soul fluttered sickeningly in it's rib cage.

 

It pulled itself to its' feet, leaning heavily on an old wooden bench. The wood creaked under the strain but held firm. A sudden spasm rattled the monsters bones, it's soul flipping violently, _'piercing, needle sharp, soul burning in agony'_ it jerked forward, retching violently at the images invading its' mind.

 

Red magic, wreaking of sickness, stained the dirt. Its' mind swirled and throbbed, more thoughts pushing into it in intruding waves.

 

_"Are you sure we're safe here?" Papyrus said, shuddering slightly under his soaked clothing, "What if Undyne finds us?"_

 

_San snorted, "How the hell would she even know to look here? This spots too fucking hard to just walk into remember? I made sure of it," He reached out, rubbing his little brothers head affectionately, "That current's too fast for her to swim down here and with you and me rigging that puzzle, there's no way fish breath can get within a mile of here."_

 

The feral monster shook its' head weakly, not now, it didn't want to remember, not now, not ever, the pain was just too much.

 

_He's staring into the gaping maw of the machine, watching the deep dark in it's center coming alive, lighting up blindingly bright. It's too much. His eye sockets slam closed, but he can still see it. Between breaths the light starts to burn, pain scorching over every bone._

 

_'I can't! I can't! I can't!'_

 

The feral monster, too weak to bang its' head, instead resorts to rubbing its' skull pitifully on the ground. Black dirt caking to white bone, bits of soil getting into the crack above it's socket, igniting a physical pain that does nothing to ease the pounding in _his_ mind.

 

Who is he? He freezes, the memories, (are they his memories?) petering out as another wave of sickness churns his soul. He retches again, panting and shaking. What is his name?

 

_"Sans?"_

 

Is he Sans? The pounding in his head is dulling to an aching throb. One last scene playing out as his memory once again recedes.

 

_"Hey doc, you uh...got a minute?" Sans asks, nervously running fingers over his arms and unconsciously along old cracks and pock marks in the bone. His fingers long to dig in, desperate to relieve his frayed nerves with physical pain. Someone had once told him it was a nasty habit. Who was it again?_

 

_Gaster sighs in annoyance, coldly staring through Sans as if he didn't exist. Outside of their experiment sessions Sans generally avoided Gaster, and for good reason. With such a high level of violence Gaster might decide to dust him if he was too much of an irritant. "Unless it pertains to your latest test results, no." The doctor hisses._

 

_"I-it's about that, my tests, well sorta. I've been noticing gaps, yanno, in my memory?"_

 

_"Does it impede your ability to function?"_

 

_"What? No, I mean not really."_

 

_"Then it lacks relevance."_

 

_"Now wait a fucking minute," Sans growled, forgetting his fear, "I tell you I'm loosing my goddamn marbles and you say it isn't relevant?"_

 

_Eyes rolling Gaster snorts in derision, "So long as you remember why you're here it's of no concern to me. We made a deal or have you forgotten that?"_

 

_"No. No I haven't. I help you get around that stupid fucking barrier and you... uh... you..."_

 

_"Assist you in becoming less pathetic for a start." Gaster snarled, "Memory is of no relevance, so long as you uphold your end of things." He made to sweep past Sans, thin fingers already tapping out something on his datapad._

 

_"Wait. Uh... Gaster I..."_

 

_Gaster paused, staring back at him, his gaze pinning Sans in place, "What is it?" His voice terse and sharp._

 

_"I can't do this."_

 

_"That's not part of the deal Sans." Gaster hissed._

 

_Sans swallowed hard, his soul beating erratically, panic flooding his senses, "Gaster I can't. I can't go through with it. It just, fuck, the holes in my memory, the fucking pain, it's just... I can't..."_

 

_"You don't have a choice." The Doctor was fast, reaching forward and grabbing his wrist in an iron clad grip, "Not after we've come so far, not after I'm so close! You agreed to this!"_

 

_"I-I know, but," Sans pulled at the grip, thoughts scurrying away in terror. He had to get out, he had to get away, this was too much, "Gaster, fuck, let go!"_

 

The feral monster stared down at his bones, his sense of self already fading out with the memory. Some desperate part tried to hold on, just a little longer, he was almost free. And then it was gone. It lay in the dirt, weakly lifting its' head. The bubbling sound of water making it feel safe and content. Its' nose wrinkled and burned in disgust at the vomit, and swiftly it shifted some of the torn up earth over top of it.

 

It managed to pull itself to it's shaking feet before pushing its' back into the corner. It was so tired. The pain had left it weakened and dizzy. Its' soul too tired to protest its' hunger any longer. Its' eye sockets drifted closed, and this time it hoped it would be too exhausted to have any more strange dreams.

 

**

 

Fuming Sans made his way down a familiar narrow passage in Waterfall. It had been a long time since he'd been out this way. Not since that time he'd caught Papyrus following him and they'd gotten into that huge fight. Then, as now, he needed space and a place to think. It's not that Papyrus didn't know about the spot, far from it, it was another of their childhood finds, but he knew better then to bug Sans when he came here for space.

 

Besides, who the heck knew where Papyrus had teleported off to. Sans was still livid about that and planned to have a very long talk with him when he got home; whether Papyrus liked it or not. But first Sans desperately needed to cool off. He couldn't approach the situation in a fit of temper or Papyrus would just believe he was childishly acting out.

 

The passage came out next to a fast flowing river, a direct off shoot of the main waterway so the current was swift. Further down it slowed and broke into smaller streams that fed directly into the swamp pools. Sans didn't need to go that far to get to his thinking spot though.

 

Staring up at the jewel speckled ceiling he berated himself for losing his temper so thoroughly back in Hotland. Throwing a tantrum wasn't the way to prove he could be trusted. But it was just so infuriating! _'I don't understand why he can't just trust me for once.'_ Sure Papyrus _said_ he trusted Sans, he _said_ he supported him with his goals, but in reality his older brother was still stuck in the past. The messages he'd found months ago had made that abundantly clear.

 

_Sans sighed, Alphys had left the guard post on some official business and left him with cleaning duty to pass the time. He didn't mind really, but her desk was just appalling. He was amazed she ever found anything._

 

_Grumbling he sifted through the papers and folders, stacking them neatly and making sure the guard reports were organized and filed away. One particular folder caught his eye as he opened the cabinet, it wasn't labeled with a report number like the others, nor was it the standard blue color for a record folder._

 

_This was just a plain manilla folder, shoved all the way in the back. A single tiny corner of lined paper peeking over its edge. His hand hesitated, the paper being out of place was irritating enough, but it was his curiosity that was eating him alive. He really shouldn't. It was probably a personal file. It was no secret Alphys tended to write letters to Undyne. Seriously it was tiring watching them dance around each other._

 

_'A quick peek wouldn't hurt, right?' Sans thought to himself. If it was something too personal he could just stop reading it._

 

_Giving into curiosity, Sans pulled the envelope from the cabinet and flipped it open. Reading through the first page his smile fell and he felt a cold stab of betrayal._

 

_Papyrus was writing letters to Alphys._

 

_He was asking that she stop training Sans and that she pull him from the guard cadet program. Bitterly he read his brothers arguments; how Sans was childish, how he was too naive and gentle. How he'd be dusted the first time he faced any real kind of danger._

 

_Numb, Sans neatly replaced the letters when he was done and stuffed the file back where he'd found it. He continued to work on his cleaning duties as his mind alternated between burning anger and bitter disappointment._

 

_His brother, the one who had always said he was the best and coolest person in the Underground, was a lying backstabber. Sans slammed the cabinet drawer with more force then was necessary. Worse Alphys had shifted his training regime recently. Giving him more mundane tasks as so called 'training' now. Over the next hour Sans knew he had to prove both of them wrong, by any means._

 

The revelation of how little faith Papyrus had in him had deeply wounded Sans at the time. Even with his renewed determination to prove his teacher and brother wrong it had been weeks before he'd been genuinely happy again.

 

Now the wound was an old bitter sting, familiar and heavy. He'd thought about confronting his brother before, but the timing had never seemed right, and also he really didn't want to hurt Papyrus. And this would hurt him.

 

For as long as Sans could remember it had just been the two of them. They'd only had each other growing up. If they had any relatives Papyrus never spoke of them, and Sans couldn't remember them at all. Some days it felt like caring for him was the only thing that held his brother together. If he did convince Papyrus to stop coddling him, to stop treating him like a child, some part of Sans worried that Papyrus would just fade away. That he wouldn't know what to do with himself. So he'd put Papyrus' emotional well being before his own.

 

But now the weight of the betrayal, the sting of being kept in the dark all the time, and the fact that Papyrus had run off when they should have been working together on this was just too much. This had to stop, for both their sakes.

 

With a sigh Sans pushed the water plants they had hidden along the river bank into their proper positions so he could cross. He wished it could be like old times when they would visit this spot together. They'd sit on the bench and talk for hours about everything or just stare at the jewel studded ceiling. Sans missed those days, it was probably just nostalgia but he swore they were brighter, that their dreams had been bigger.

 

Sans remembered telling Papyrus how he would free the monsters from the Underground someday and back then his brother had _seemed_ to believe him. Now, well they didn't talk about the surface anymore. Papyrus had started going quiet whenever Sans brought it up. As if it was painful.

 

They'd both started to settle if Sans was honest. Not that being a royal guard was too much of a downgrade in Sans' opinion, but the surface? Humans? Those dreams had lost some of their magic now that he was older. Shaking his head Sans crossed the river.

 

He took a sharp turn down another corridor, heading left and stopping at the alcove entrance, eyelights flaring in shock.

 

The bench was there as always, cracked and pockmarked from age, but at the base of it lay a large skeletal creature. Sans felt his breath catch, the stench of vomit burning his nose. The dirt floor was stained and torn up, covering a half buried puddle of red vomited magic that wreaked of illness.

 

He took in the creature as it lay fast asleep, it's ribs rising and falling in mock breath. Cracks webbed around it's bones and over it's left eye was a massive split. It wasn't a dog, not exactly. The skull was far to broad, the jaws coming together in a fashion that seemed almost reptilian. It's tail, curled tightly around it, was far too long to be canine and the structure of the forelimbs and hips almost seemed feline.

 

Sans dropped to his knees, his pants offering little protection from the pebbly floor digging into his bones. He'd never seen a monster like this before, it had to be the feral from Hotland. How it had managed to get here, Sans wasn't sure.

 

Not that he knew a lot about teleportation, that was Papyrus's area of expertise. The way his brother had explained it though, you needed to have been where you were going at least once to know how to get there. If this thing had been to their bench before how had he never seen any sign of it? How had no one else ever seen it before it popped up in New Home?

  
Come to think of it. How had it gotten to New Home in the first place? Feral monsters tended to stick closer to areas like Snowdin or the deeper caves of Waterfall where they could easily stay hidden. For it to get all the way to the capital it would've had to have moved through more populated areas at some point.

 

And if it had known how to teleport why hadn't it just moved around the Underground by doing that? Why hadn't it teleported away from Alphys prisoner when it was attacked? Had someone transported it to the capital?

 

That was an uncomfortable thought. Why would someone capture and transport a feral monster? Sans' head buzzed with questions as he removed his backpack, quietly pulling out several containers. He didn't dare get any closer, in case he startled it. He settled against the wall, arms curled over his knees as he waited for it to wake up.

 

**

 

_His room was pitch black, the heavy curtains drawn over the single decrepit window swallowing any trace of light. His eyes still burned painfully, the ice pack placed over his sockets barely taking the edge off. He groaned nauseously as a sharp stab of pain flared through his head._

 

_The tap at his door was barely audible, but with the state of his over stimulated senses Sans found it excruciatingly loud. He could barely muster a half hearted affirmative to let his brother know he was awake._

 

_Papyrus slipped quickly inside closing the door behind him to keep the room in darkness. "How are you feeling brother?" He whispered._

 

_Groaning Sans weakly lifted the ice pack, more water then ice now. He took in Papyrus, his tall imposing brother, dressed in black armor. There wasn't a scratch on him from their most recent altercation. It was getting harder and harder for Sans to get the dogs of Snowdin to respect him, or at the very least fucking leave him alone._

 

_It was inevitable that a fight would break out and Sans was grateful that Papyrus had been a lot closer to his sentry station this time. Especially since that one mutt had gotten the drop on him. It was getting to the point he couldn't even take a fucking nap on the job anymore._

 

_He'd been in real dire straights, expending so much magic trying to hold the pack off and dodge their attacks that even with his considerable reserves in another minute he would've been dust. Papyrus had swooped in, like death itself, and although he'd decided to be merciful by not killing most of the pack, his younger brother had still beaten them to within an inch of their lives._

 

_The surviving dogs had fled, some of the more severely injured dragging themselves through the stained snow. Sans had collapsed, expending so much magic had taken its toll, his soul weakly beating and struggling to hold his physical form together._

 

_It had been touch and go there for a few days, but now all that remained was a wicked headache. He'd probably be stuck with the damned thing for another week. So all he could mutter was, "like a pinata Undyne got ahold of."_

 

_Papyrus tried not to laugh, the strangled chuckle escaping his pointed teeth made Sans smile. It quickly faded though as he became serious, concern etched on his usually unreadable face._

 

_"Sans, I think it's best you give up being a sentry."_

 

_"What!" Sans yelped, immediately regretting it as particularly nasty spike of pain flared behind his eyes. "Boss that's insane! Look those damned mutts just got the fricken drop on me, it won't happen again."_

 

_Papyrus sighed, "That's what you said two months ago, and the time before that. The dogs are getting more and more restless, they need a firm hand."_

 

_'And they will never respect someone as physically weak as you.' Was the unspoken addition to that sentence._

 

_Sans fought back a growl, "What exactly am I supposed to do Papyrus? Hide in the fucking house like some kind of coward?"_

 

_"We'll find another position for you, maybe running reports? You used to do courier work for the labs, maybe-"_

 

_Now Sans did growl, "That paid peanuts Papyrus! It was good money when we were KIDS, when we didn't fucking know any better. You wanna turn me into a goddamned desk clerk? Away from Snowdin? Away from you?"_

 

_"I'm not losing you." Papyrus said flatly._

 

_His brother turned, leaving before Sans could come up with any kind of counter argument. Disregarding the pain Sans snarled and threw the ice pack at the door. It hit with a wet thud before sliding down to the moldy carpet._

 

_His fingers tightly curled around the red collar at his throat, the worn leather creaking. He was still important right? He wasn't just a burden right? His soul churned, flipping in waves of anxiety. He still mattered to Papyrus right?_

 

_If only he was stronger, if only having access to so much magic actually meant anything in this godforsaken hell pit but unless you had the physical prowess to match..._

 

_...you were just a walking pile of dust._

 

_Burying his head in his kneecaps Sans sobbed quietly._

 

**

 

Waiting in that tiny alcove felt like an eternity to Sans, though it really had been closer to a half hour. He had already traced in his mind the familiar shapes of the jeweled ceiling several times over. The silence punctuated by the soft rise and fall of the creatures breath and the bubbling river beyond the bend of the corridor.

 

Finally the creature's breathing shifted and it's sleep became punctuated by soft whimpers and growls. A nightmare? He wondered if it was dreaming about the fight; it had to be so scared, being attacked like that out of the blue. He knew he would be.

 

With one final deep inhale the creatures sockets fluttered open. Sans waited, holding his breath as bright crimson eyelights flickered, roaming around the dim alcove. Its gaze settled on Sans and as he sat pinned in place a snarl rose in its throat. It backed up, tail lashing in agitation, until its pelvis collided with the bench behind it. It hunched down, head lowered and had it possessed lips Sans knew they would've been curled back. Slowly he reached for one of the containers, eyes never leaving the creatures face. If it charged he'd have to dart down the corridor and hope the sharp bend slowed it enough for him to escape.

 

Even if it meant going for a swim, which he was not keen on.

 

Careful not to make any sudden moves, Sans nervously fumbled with the container, his hands inside his gloves were slick with sweat. He'd managed to get one side of the darn Tupperware lifted up when the thing darted forward, snapping its jaws threateningly.

 

In a panic Sans practically threw the half opened container as he madly scrambled backward toward the exit corridor. The sudden sound of the thrown plastic hitting the ground made the beast jump with a hiss and skitter behind the bench.

 

Sans blinked, startled out of his own fear as he watched the creature then try to squeeze its bulk _underneath_ the bench.

 

His voice gave a shaky crack, "You're not gonna fit under there."

 

It ignored him, continuing to growl and futilely attempt to dig and squeeze itself underneath the old partly rotted wood before giving up. It settled for pulling itself, tail and all, behind the bench, only the tip of its snout visible as it continued to growl.

 

They were at a stalemate it seemed, the creature not wanting to move from behind the bench and Sans reluctant to move back to his previous spot. Between them lay the container, the fall having caused the lid to pop off completely, a messy jumble of cracked taco shells and meat littered the alcove floor.

 

For a few soul beats they stayed like that, until the creature seemed to take a deep breath, the smell of the spilled food reaching it. The growl silenced down to nothing and Sans watched closely as a muzzle came around the side of the bench. It stared hungrily at the spilled food and a loud gurgle split the air.

 

Sans winced, that sounded painful even to him. "You hungry?" He said softly.

 

The only response was another growl as the creatures eyelights shifted from the container to Sans and back again. Slowly Sans shifted, "I'll just back up further okay?" He moved in excruciatingly slow inches backwards until he was just inside the exit corridor.

 

With each shift backwards the feral monster crept forward, slinking in achingly slow steps from behind the bench. The growling ceased altogether as it greedily lapped up the spilled meat, crunching the taco shell bits between sharp fangs.

 

Sans watched closely as the healing ability inherent in all monster food began to take effect. The smaller chips and cracks glowed a muted green but it wasn't enough to heal everything and it certainly wasn't going to help the huge crack over the things eye. Its tail began to wag in a steady content rhythm.

 

"It's good huh Red?" Sans said, deciding that the first step to gaining this creatures trust was to give it a name. With the crimson eyelights it had it seemed appropriate.

 

Red stopped eating long enough to lift it's head, throwing a cranky sounding growl and a sharp bark toward Sans.

 

"Geez," He chuckled, "Don't snap at me, you're as bad as Papyrus when he's hungry."

 

Red suddenly froze, head snapping up to stare at Sans, its eyelights were wild, flaring sharply before its sockets went dark. Bones rattling the food dropped from its mouth as it began to hyper ventilate.

 

"What is it? What's wrong?" Sans watched in horror as Red began clawing at its face, releasing the same pained screeching he'd heard back in Hotland. "Hey stop! Don't do that!" He cried as Red proceeded to slam its head into the rock walls of the alcove repeatedly.

 

"Red! Red stop!" Sans cried, throwing out caution as he leapt forward, grabbing Red around the neck. He pulled sharply in an attempt to stop the violent display even as Red's claws tore at the dirt.

 

He should have used magic.

 

Suddenly they weren't in the alcove any longer. Between one soul beat and the next Sans was overwhelmed with teleportation vertigo and the familiar burning smell of magic. They had landed in ankle deep water, but below them, just beyond the cliff was the big falls, the place where all of the river tributaries met in a deep pond before falling into the bottomless dark.

 

Red bucked, thrashing wildly as Sans tried in vain to hold on, but with a final violent twist he lost his hold and went tumbling right over the edge into the pool below. Spluttering Sans swam to the surface in time to watch Red teleport, the feral monster still screeching in agony.

 

Soaking wet, and thoroughly disheartened Sans made for the river bank. He began the soggy trek back to Snowdin, hoping that Red would go back to the alcove for the food if nothing else. He needed a better plan of action before he approached Red again as clearly the creature was suffering from some kind of traumatic injury.

 

He wondered if the crack over it's eye had somehow rattled it's mind? It seemed unlikely, skeleton monsters didn't exactly have organs in the traditional sense, so it wasn't like there was a brain to rattle.

 

Still...

 

...something had clearly set Red off.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter took longer to make then I intended because I was distracted *cough* Ashes of Ariandel *cough* Had to replay Dark Souls 3 again *cough*. Thank you all for the kudos and comments! Every time they pop up in my email it seriously makes my day. I'm so glad everyone is enjoying the story. :D (Tiny note for anyone that plays Dark Souls 3, am I the only one who thought the PvP trailer song Ain't No Devil completely fits Bloodborne and I want to see a music video? No? Just me?)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick reminder that I am not strictly following any AU official cannons. And also I made a tumblr specifically for this story as well because I got some very nice artwork :> also I figure it'll be easier for people to check on quick notes about chapter progress. :D and a spot for any of my own doodles too.
> 
> http://hollowredskele.tumblr.com/
> 
> Enjoy the new chapter :>

 

Chapter 4

 

Groaning in frustration Undyne pushed her notepad across the desk. This experiment was turning into one massive failure, _again_. She really didn't want to report another attempt down the drain to Queen Toriel though. She might be incredibly patient with her subjects, but even such a saintly demeanor had limits and this project was just too important to the Underground. Maybe it was time to throw in the towel and try a new direction though. Call this one a dud and shelve it before attempting a different method.

 

Leaning back Undyne closed her eyes. She let her mind wander a bit as the steadily ticking timer in the background washed over her. Finally she felt the first stirrings of an idea. An amplifier maybe? Yes. She adjusted her glasses, eyes focusing on the desk in front of her as new connections sprang to life in her mind. Yes, that could be the answer. If the output of the experiment could be increased, then certainly that might help. It was not a guarantee of success but perhaps this direction wasn't such a dead end after all.

 

A loud ping broke her concentration, a half scribbled diagram already taking shape on the notepad. With her train of thought broken the growling of her stomach finally reached Undyne. With a grin she pulled the flimsy paper top off the steeping cup ramen before settling in to eat. Chopsticks firmly in hand she gave them a few excited clicks before digging in.

 

The sudden sucking pop splitting the air behind her, made her screen in alarm. Chair tilting too far backward she was dumped on the floor. Her lunch, however, was saved from a similar fate by a quick moving skeletal hand.

 

Snarling she glared up at the 'intruder', "Do you have to do that _every_ time?!" She said, pulling herself from the floor. Undyne straightened her lab coat as she stood, snatching the cup ramen from Papyrus.

 

"Well I gotta keep you on your _fins_ somehow." He drawled, a smirk playing at the corners of his mouth.

 

With a pained groan Undyne rolled her eyes, "Ugh Papyrus that was.... _Ugh_."

 

Sighing she put down her noodles, _'Sorry stomach, you'll have to wait.'_

 

Looking her friend and former co-worker up and down she noted his tense posture. His eyes seemed to flit nervously around the lab,"So what's the deal? You already checked the machines this week," She said, "Not like the things are gonna up and run off you know."

 

He'd been doing that once a week for the last few months now. But before that it had been once a month if at all. No matter how many times she tried to get an answer from him regarding the increased visits, Papyrus always responded with the same shrug. Or an off hand comment about being bored.

 

Then he'd wander down to the old storage area, come back up and visit a bit before leaving. It had been years but when Papyrus had actually worked here those machines and blue prints had been his prized ideas. Now they were just the property of the crown, but even thinking about going down there made her scales crawl. Papyrus had always been brilliant, but he hadn't always been apathetic like he was now. Undyne found herself missing his constant company from those days, even if it had involved some really irritating pranks.

 

"No it's something else." Papyrus said, moving toward the storage area door.

 

"This is my lab now you know," She huffed.

 

He shrugged before shutting the door behind him, the electronic lock clicking back into place.

 

_'Cryptic bastard.'_

 

***

 

Papyrus rubbed at his face, the thick dust coating the storage area hallway making him itch. Undyne rarely came back here and obviously she still hadn't dusted despite repeated promises that it was on her 'to do' list. Then again maybe her staying away wasn't such a bad thing.

 

_'Some ideas are better off forgotten.'_

 

The storage area was a section of rooms connected by a long corridor. At one time every scientist that had passed through here had been given their own room to use. Now most stood empty. There contents long ago gutted for use in newer experiments or trashed as unsalvageable.

 

He passed the two rooms closest to the door; they both belonged to Undyne and were stuffed with her plans and ideas. Incomplete experiments lined the metal shelves and every available surface seemingly at random.

 

Not that his room, the next door down, was much better in terms of organization. _'Well former room anyway_ ', Papyrus thought with a sigh. He peered into the doors little window, if Undyne had actually bothered to come back and catalog the room she'd have wondered why it looked like a dust storm waiting to happen despite his frequent visits. Nothing had been touched in ages and even standing outside now Papyrus felt sick looking at it all.

 

He turned away, it didn't matter. He'd already removed everything of importance years ago after... Well after. It was for the best; especially _'that'_ machine. If Undyne had ever realized what it was capable of, even in its damaged state. Well she wouldn't be able to resist tinkering with it. It was far too dangerous to leave, so it had been the first thing he'd managed to smuggle out of here when he resigned.

 

Stars he needed a cigarette. Fighting the urge to pull one from his hoodie his fingers ran over the closed box in his pocket. He doubted there was anything truly volatile left in here but it was best not to tempt fate.

 

_'That's what started this in the first place.'_ He thought. _'Tempting fate.'_ The stupid machine, and that damned experiment he'd so stubbornly insisted on trying without approval. Well now he knew better; knew it was pointless to try and change things. And yet here he was, every week without fail.

 

Sighing Papyrus continued down the hall, past several more rooms to the very end. This was where he came every week. To remember; or maybe it was to forget what his life had become. The hall light was out down here, fitting really. He touched the broken and unreadable name plate by the door.

 

He could still remember how it looked the first time he'd seen it; polished and clean, the name in bright silver letters. He was probably the only one who still remembered.

 

_'Don't forget.'_ He reminded himself.

 

How many years had it been now? Decades maybe if he counted the barely remembered resets. No matter how much time passed, or how often he came, taking that step over the threshold was always a struggle.

 

Forcing himself forward, Papyrus turned the door knob. The aged metal door gave a loud scraping screech as it moved, the room beyond it shrouded in darkness. He flicked the light on, blinking in the sudden harsh light. As his eyes cleared, for a moment, he expected to see a tall thin figure leaning over the old desk in the corner, muttering through equations and jotting down notes.

 

He could almost hear the scratching of a pencil; a voice calling out, _'Good morning Papyrus, glad you made it in today.'_

 

But the room remained empty and silent.

 

Sighing Papyrus moved to the overflowing shelves crammed on every available wall. Most of the material was illegible now. A side effect of the _'accident'._ Old memories left a bitter taste in his mouth as his fingers ran along the spines of worn notebooks and data tapes. He stopped as his hand touched a cardboard tube and pulled back as if he'd been burned.

 

That was what he was here for. That inconspicuous little tube covered in seven inches of thick dust and cobwebs. He started to shake, a creeping itch crawling down his spine. Pulling in a few quick breaths, and desperately fighting the urge to flee from the room he reached out again. Gingerly his fingers closed around it as if holding a poisonous snake.

 

In a way that's exactly what this was.

 

Fighting down the cold panic in his bones, Papyrus tightened his grip. He pulled it down holding the tube to his sternum. _'This is a piece of paper, nothing more, nothing less.'_ Grounding himself in that thought he uncapped the tube, pulling out and unfurling the faded blueprint; his theory could be wrong. The tube had been untouched. Even if someone had broken into the storage area or Undyne had suddenly lost her moral compass and gone hunting for it, this tube would have shown signs of tampering.

 

But it didn't. It was just as he'd left it ages ago. He'd damned well ignored the thing every time he came here. So was he wrong? He hadn't actually seen the feral monster. He'd only...heard it.

 

Stars he hoped he was wrong.

 

But that sound. It was ingrained in his memory, in every fiber of his being. He knew that sound. His soul fluttered painfully at old memories. He stared down at the open blue print, a sour taste filling his mouth at the mobile blaster design drawn in cold clinical detail. The head was similar to his own lifeless cannons but this blaster had a will of its own and a four legged body. A powerful weapon crossed with an obedient and loyal animal intelligence. It required a trainer instead of a caster. Since it didn't rely on the users magic abilities anyone could utilize it. It could also protect the monster working with it even if that monster became incapacitated.

 

Perfect weaponry.

 

Except for one tiny detail.

 

Production. Creating something mimicking life and intelligence was complicated. With the limited resources at the disposal of monsterkind there had seemed to be only one solution that could give the thing any semblance of life.

 

A living soul.

 

And any attempts at an artificial soul? Well. Papyrus shook, that had backfired spectacularly. Because of that the idea had been shelved, locked away and ultimately abandoned.

 

But if he was right, and that sound was one of these _'things'_ then someone had clearly decided ethics were no longer a concern. Because barring an artificial one they would've had to take someone else's. That sent a cold shudder through him. Even _he_ would never have gone that far.

 

But the plans here were undisturbed and except for Undyne and himself none of the other scientists who had worked here at the time or the original designer were even alive. So to speak. A sickening twist of guilt danced on his bones.

 

_'Who's fault is that again?'_

 

These things had been a bad idea from the start, but even knowing that and after everything that had happened, the plans hadn't been destroyed, merely shelved. _'Even a bad idea is worth saving. It may prove useful later on, or some new discovery may render the impossible possible.'_ Papyrus snorted at the memory, _'Bet the old man regrets thinking that now.'_ he thought bitterly. 

 

He couldn't really be mad at  _him_ though. Not when in truth it wasn't his fault.

 

The fault lay squarely with Papyrus.

 

He scolded himself for getting sidetracked. This wasn't the time, not when something like this  _thing_ could be running loose in the underground. Whoever the hell had made something similar to these blueprints, a few things were clear. From what little information Sans had shared regarding the creature, it was capable of moving and attacking on it's own, clearly possessed at least a rudimentary intelligence and didn't seem to be following any kind of orders or have a trainer.

 

For all intents and purposes it's behavior was that of a feral monster and nothing more. Then again, maybe it wasn't that it didn't have a trainer. Maybe it was that it's trainer had lost control of it. Hadn't Sans mentioned that Alphys was holding a prisoner that had been involved in the incident causing the thing to run into Hotland in the first place?

 

He replayed the conversation from the kitchen this morning.  _'A soft cadet for a soft royal guard in a soft universe, it makes me sick'._ A chill ran down his spine again like it had earlier.

 

He'd brushed off the feeling of unease at the time because it wasn't possible. Mathematically, in terms of quantum mechanics, sure, but for something or things from some alternate reality to be here? The odds were astronomical. But it was the only idea that seemed to fit. Papyrus rolled the blueprint back up, reluctantly tucking it under his arm. One thing was certain, he needed to talk to that prisoner.

 

He had to know for sure.

 

Turning off the light as he left Papyrus called out, "Night old man," And shut the door behind him.

 

In the dark room a soft and barely audible voice, laced with crackling static called back.

 

***

 

Papyrus blinked, shifting from the dim and dusty storage area back to the main lab was always hard on the eye sockets. He wasn't surprised to see Undyne waiting for him, curiosity etched in every line of her face.

 

"So what is it? Something happen? Did one of the machines malfunction?" Her eyes landed on the blueprint tucked under his arm. She paused suddenly and he could see the thought striking her as the color drained from her face, "OMG is it-"

 

"No Undyne it's not, that. Well...not exactly." He really needed a cigarette right now, "Has Alphys contacted you at all recently?"

 

"Well yeah, she called earlier. Why?"

 

"Did she tell you about the feral monster on the loose?"

 

Undyne nodded, "Yeah, she mentioned it, and something about a real hard ass of a prisoner too. She was pretty stressed actually."

 

"I think," Papyrus sighed, "I think it's one of _'these'_."

 

"Papyrus that's not possible. You and I both know that. That experiment requires a living soul. Who in the hell could do something like that? No one even knows about...well about... _that_. I haven't gone near that thing in ages and the only other person who would even think to go down there is you. My security is fricken full proof!"

 

She faltered at Papyrus's face, he looked like he'd been running on even less sleep then usual. "You're exhausted, may-"

 

"I heard it Undyne. Sans wanted to go after it and," He paused, hands shaking, "We didn't see it but we heard it."

 

She shuddered, "Maybe you were mistaken?"

 

Papyrus turned glaring sockets on her.

 

"Okay, maybe not." Relenting Undyne turned her attention to her bank of consoles, "I can see if the known signature pops up. But Papyrus I think you might be barking up the wrong tree here. How in the hell would something like that get made without either of us knowing about it?"

 

"I have a theory about that, but I'm going to need to talk to Alphy's prisoner to be sure."

 

"Good fucking luck," Undyne snorted, "Considering he got under Alphys scales I dunno what the hell you think you'll get out of him. Not even twenty four hours and she gives the ass the nickname Fell."

 

"Fell?" Papyrus snorted, "What kind of name is that?"

 

"Short for felon. Apparently he's a real clam, won't even give her his name. Besides I don't think Alphys is just gonna let you talk to him."

 

"I'll figure it out."

 

Papyrus's posture was stiff, and Undyne couldn't blame him for the amount of tension she could see. To have something like this happen, even if Papyrus was just jumping at shadows, well.

 

Some memories were better left forgotten.

 

 

 


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :o Thank you everyone for all your lovely comments on this story! I'm glad you guys are enjoying it :).   
> Tumblr:  
> http://hollowredskele.tumblr.com/

Chapter 5

His head was pounding. 

Fell's sockets slid shut, his skull resting against the cool stone wall. Even with having eaten throughout the day, and the healing magic used on his injuries, the fight with Gaster's feral experiment had been exhausting.

Going through the mad scientists dimensional machine certainly hadn't been the beginning of his troubles, but it hadn't helped either. The thing had made him feel like he was being torn to pieces and then carefully reassembled. It wasn't an experience he was looking forward to repeating at the end of this hunt.

Fell was glad that the lights of the Underground had been dimmed for the night. Beyond the barred window of his cell he could hear that the streets were practically empty now. An almost home sick sigh escaped his teeth.

Back in his universe this would be a dangerous time. Only the strongest monsters went out after dark. It was a time for back alley deals, and quiet planning for tomorrow's survival. Here though. It was just a time to sleep or for food and family. Fell began picking at the dinner he'd been left by the guards, his thoughts wandering.

Fell, he was really starting to enjoy that name, had been nervous his first few days here. Even now night time still made him feel the usual ingrained anxiety. However, it had been worse when he'd first arrived since he'd had no real place to go and little information to work with. He'd made the best of it, using times he couldn't sleep to plan his moves while keeping a careful eye on the tracking device Gaster had given him.

That tracker was probably sitting in some guards lock box now. Fell snarled, this was no time to get comfortable or to let something as trivial as a headache slow him down. He had to figure out how to get out of here. The sooner the better. He didn't know how much time he had left. 

He was thankful, if a monster like him could be said to posses that emotion, that this universe's guard captain, 'Alphys of all monsters!', Had left for the day. She'd certainly been sporting a headache of her own, a thought that gave Fell no small amount of satisfaction. 

While he still thought the stout lizard Captain lacked Undyne's capacity for viciousness she wasn't completely above dirty tactics. She nearly had gone through with her threat to take his jacket.

Sans' jacket.

Fell's gloved fingers gripped the leather sleeve tightly. His soul spasming in suppressed emotion as he dug into the smooth leather. He couldn't afford to waste any more time; it'd been a week already! Gaster had promised him, for all that lunatic’s promises were worth, to help Sans. He had to get out of here soon, find that stupid beast and drag it home, regardless of the personal cost.

He traced the deep cracks over his eye socket from the experiments claws. What was a socket or two? Compared to his brother.

Something still rankled about this whole situation though. A nagging persistence that would not be silent. Fell knew better then to ignore his hunches, they'd saved his bones on more then one occasion, but at the moment what choice did he have?

He'd searched everywhere after Sans had disappeared. The hiding spot in Waterfall, the hidden caves in Snowdin, he'd even gone to the capital on the off chance that Sans had decided to camp out in one of their childhood hiding spots. He'd looked for almost a month solid whenever he could manage it. He had to keep up appearances after all, no sense showing any real attachment, that would simply be seen as a weakness. But internally he'd been in a panic the entire time.

In the end it hadn't made a difference. No matter where he went no one, even under threat of torture, had seen Sans. It was like he'd vanished. Just left the house one day and never looked back. 

Sans was a resourceful monster when he wanted to be. So Fell had tried to assure himself with each passing day that Sans was likely fishing, his favorite past time, or lazily napping in some hidden corner of the Underground. 

But some part of him kept whispering, What if he Fell down? What if it was your fault?

They'd fought while Sans had been recovering from a fight with the local Snowdin dog pack. Fell regretted it. He'd meant well, had only wanted to protect Sans, but his lack of tact had probably done more harm than good. He didn't blame Sans for being pissed at his decision to have him step down as a sentry.

By doing so Sans was showing weakness. 'Not that half of the Underground didn't consider him physically weak anyway,' Fell snorted. That had always been a sore point between them. Even when Sans had cared for Fell while growing up. Sans was incredibly powerful magically, but physically? His body just wasn't built to keep up with the output. 

Knowing, even when he had been a child, that his older brother was weak had been Fell's motivation for joining the guard in the first place. Anything to protect Sans. He hadn't expected Sans to continue to insist on protecting him well after he needed it. 

Fell ground his teeth, there were a lot of things Sans was still protecting him from. His briefing from Gaster had been very...informative. 

And still Fell doubted he knew everything.

He had to see Sans again. If at the very least to make him come clean, and to also apologize for not considering his view. It was just. After the dog attack he'd been concerned; he wasn't about to use the word afraid, The great Papryus did not get afraid. They'd been ignoring Sans' physically frailty for years now, but his brother had nearly dusted in that fight from extreme magical exertion.

The situation could not be ignored any longer. 

After the argument though, Sans had been different. Fluctuating between acting like nothing at all had happened or going quiet. Particularly when the subject of another job came up.

"I'm bacon you bro-"

"Sans."

"I mean this is more then I was eggspecting."

"SANS!"

His brother's fist had pounded on the table, laughter shaking his short frame. So much for trying to make him breakfast as an attempt to smooth things over after the other day. Papyrus had sighed, internally denying the fact that he felt relieved that Sans seemed to be taking things so well.

"I spoke with Undyne about your discharge from the sentries. Given your 'status'," He wouldn't bring himself to use the word condition, "She's willing to forego the usual methods of discharge." 

Sans' laughter died behind his teeth. He sat there like a stone, fork idly picking at his breakfast as Papyrus continued on.

Fell had thought at the time that it was the right thing to do; speaking to Undyne on Sans' behalf. The usual methods for leaving the guard involved a fight between the Captain and the monster being discharged. Even if it was only supposed to be for show, Undyne could be unpredictable at times and easily get carried away. Fell hadn't been willing to take that chance. Sans had still been recovering from his injuries after all. Now Fell wasn't sure that he'd made the right choice; talking to her without discussing it further with him.

Fell had never been very good at waiting once he'd made a decision. 

For several weeks afterward once he'd recovered enough to leave the house, Sans had seemed to be following through with Fell's plan. During the day he'd seem to go out looking for work, Fell would always find him with multiple application forms or sorting through listings at the kitchen table. Really that should have tipped him off.

When did Sans ever do something diligently? Especially something he'd seemed so dead set against when it was first mentioned to him.

Papyrus never slept much, so it was no surprise that he heard the footsteps on the stairs. Sans, judging from the weight and speed. Likely back from his nightly sulking at Grillbys. Papyrus had sighed, rolling over. This had been going on for weeks now and he really should confront Sans about it.

But if this was his brother's method of coping with the changes in his life, how could he pull even that away from him. The bar was considered neutral territory in Snowdin and with Sans' ability to teleport there seemed no harm in letting him have this at least.

'No harm.' Fell clenched his teeth, 'At least until he disappeared.'

He clearly recalled that morning when he'd woken and realized he'd never heard Sans come home the night before. A foreign emotion had clawed it's way into his soul as Fell had knocked on Sans' bedroom door only to be met with silence.

He'd barged in, recoiling at the usual mess, something he'd never understood from someone who kept the rest of the house in a presentable state. Sans wasn't there. His bed empty. Worse yet, and even more telling, his jacket discarded on the floor.

An emotion Fell did recognize had coursed through him then. Dread.

That's when Fell had gone to Grillbys only to find out his brother hadn't been there since before the dog attack. If not Grillbys where had Sans been going at night for the last few weeks? As he'd eliminated each known location the pit of dread became all consuming. Fell began to fear he was looking for Sans' dust.

In a final resort to try and figure out where Sans could've gone, Fell decided to break into the tiny shed behind their house. Sans had told him it was off limits when they were younger. It was one of the few rules his older brother had set down that Fell still followed. Sans had said that there were dangerous items left over there from his errand work in the labs years ago. Fell had seen that the heavy chain was still on the door when he'd first started looking for Sans, so he hadn't gone in. Sans had told him the lock was magical, preventing any kind of teleportation or magical tampering. A precaution he'd said. Against what Fell could never figure out.

That being said Sans never was very good at hiding keys. Fell had found it in his room easily, in a rarely used drawer in his dresser.

Maybe there was more in the tiny shed behind the house then he'd first thought. Papyrus squeezed the arm of Sans' jacket, something he'd taken to wearing in between shifts while looking for his brother. It might be seen as a sign of weakness, but at this point Fell was starting to go beyond giving a shit.

Closing the door behind him, the cold grey of the room was harsh under the bright lighting. He began to pick apart the notes strewn across the work table. Most of it was beyond him, formulae, calculations, scientific theorem...

What was evident was the range of emotions Sans had been going through. The notes frequently fluctuated between calm legible writing and nearly indecipherable shaky scrawl. Each page was dated, but oddly some had the same dates but a small annotation of v.2. 

Those, however, were older pages, after a certain point the annotations stopped. Huge gaps of time appeared between written pages until...

A week after the dog fight. None of it was personal, no statements of being pissed off, just cold analytical annotation and all of it seemed to be focused on a vial of liquid marked sample 4. Which sat upright in a holder nearby. 

The notes went on for several pages with the very last page dated the night Sans went missing, 'Gaster blew me off about the effects.' His brother had written in a calm hand, 'It certainly seems to be working but I'm having second thoughts. Papyrus is gonna kill me if he finds out that-' 

Suddenly the writing jumped into a squiggle as if Sans had been startled. Whatever his brother intended to say next was completely illegible. But it didn't matter. Sans had clearly been keeping secrets, big secrets and Fell now had a lead.

Gaster.

Cursing himself for not investigating this shed sooner, Fell went to see the one monster everyone despised.

That shed had been enlightening to say the least. Highlighting exactly how little Fell knew about his brother. He'd felt sick. If there was anyone in their world Sans should be able to trust it was him. Clearly though that wasn't the case. 'Was I that bad? That Sans couldn't even trust me enough to tell me he was still using that shed? Or about Gaster or those notes?'

Meeting with Gaster had been unpleasant. No one could argue that he was brilliant, perhaps more so then any royal scientist in history, but he was also morally bankrupt. Even what little passed for morality and loyalty in their universe appeared lost on him. He had a reputation for only caring for anything that furthered his work. 

To call Gaster cruel though, would be giving him too much credit. He simply existed in a sort of cold certainty that made any and every action possible to him. It made him annoyingly unpredictable. It was rumored that if the kings level of violence wasn't so high Gaster might've even contemplated regicide.

Sans working closely with him as more then just an errand boy was worrying. 

He'd never actually met Gaster before. When they were younger, Sans had run errands for the royal scientist and his team but had always insisted that Papyrus stay as far away from the labs as possible. 'I'll meet you at the corner over there.' Sans would say, pointing to a spot far outside the Hotland lab and not allowing Papyrus to set one toe closer.

Papyrus would never admit to nervousness, that was something only the weak felt, but it didn't mean he was overconfident either. This was unknown territory, even as a guardsman. The only one who dealt with Gaster was Captain Undyne and even that was mostly through courier rather then directly.

The outside of the lab was sterile and pristine, but as soon as Papyrus crossed the threshold it was like entering into a war zone. Or one of Undyne's more...enthusiastic training sessions.

Scorch marks marred the walls and floor, bones stuck out of several surfaces, equipment was in various states of damage. As Papyrus stepped through the claw mark marred door frame into Gaster's office the feeling of dread pulsed loudly in his soul. 

What the hell had happened here.

Gaster was clearly ruffled, some bandages covering a few wounds, but Papyrus didn't think for a second that the injuries were a sign of weakness. Not with someone like Gaster. 

"I didn't request a guardsman," Gaster had hissed, clearly annoyed by the intrusion.

"I'm not here in an official capacity." Papyrus had stated, setting the vial he'd found in Sans' shed on the desk between them, "I'm looking for my brother."

"Brother?"

"Sans. He disappeared a few weeks ago."

Gaster had blinked as if taken aback, "He never mentioned he had a brother, well well this is a surprise."

Was that sympathy in Gaster's expression? No, Fell doubted he was capable of any emotion, much less that. But the scientists next words froze him to the core.

"If he had I would've contacted you. But he said nothing when I requested him to stay on site a month ago. We were entering a vital phase of the project after all."

A month ago; when Sans had disappeared. Clearly now Papyrus knew Sans had been working with Gaster without his knowledge, but that Sans had willingly run off without even a note?

"Is he here?" Papyrus had growled, ready to verbally lay into his older brother.

Gaster's face fell, "He is, but, I'm afraid there are complications. The project we were working on escaped last night, as you can see," Gaster gestured around the damaged lab, "Our attempts to contain it, did not end well."

Papyrus's soul plummeted, "Where is Sans?" He hadn't meant to sound so threatening, he really hadn't.

Gaster's expression morphed into a cold sneer, "You will mind your tone guardsman." Composing himself the scientist sighed, "Your brother was gravely injured, he is currently in critical condition."

The floor dropped out from under Papyrus, "Let me see him."

"That's not possible. At the moment the only thing keeping your brother alive and stable is some very delicate equipment."

"I'm surprised you care."

"I don't." Gaster huffed, "Your brother is a valuable assistant. A brilliant mind; quite talented. If only he didn't have such a foul mouth."

Sighing Gaster folded back into his chair, "If we'd managed to contain the thing this wouldn't be an issue."

"What do you mean?"

"I doubt you'd understand the complexities of it, but our little escaped project was an experimental subject used to test advanced regeneration and healing techniques. Typically it is, or was," Gaster grumbled in annoyance, "Quite docile. Unfortunately last nights test apparently had a very negative reaction causing it to turn hostile. However, before it went out of control it did regenerate from a rather nasty wound. Sans was collecting the data and taking a sample when it attacked. Sadly the sample was destroyed so healing your brother using my research isn't possible. Honestly considering his frailty I doubt he'll survive long enough for conventional healing, and without the creature to examine our current work is at a dead end."

Papyrus stared at the tile a moment, processing, "If I track it down and capture it, could you use it to heal Sans?"

"I could." Gaster sighed, "If it was possible to track it down."

"I can do it."

"Can you?" Gaster said, barely able to contain the oily smirk playing at his mouth, "Oh I would very much like to see that."

Finding out about other universes at that point had been a bit of shock. As Gaster explained that the experiment had managed to escape through an opened portal into one that he had been monitoring with sensors. The machine that Gaster had used to create the portal had been badly damaged during the fight as well.

Fell had been given a tracker keyed to a monitoring device on the experiment, as much information as the scientist could stand to part with about the creature, and the understanding that once he'd captured it he was to activate a beacon on the tracker. This would tell Gaster to reactivate the damaged portal machine for one last trip.

Gaster doubted it would work beyond that last gasp without having to be rebuilt.

And that was how he'd ended up in this saccharin backwater. Finding the creature had taken the better part of a week, and now he'd lost it again. Worse, the more time passed the more Fell wondered if he'd come back to Sans' dust.

If he wasn't dead already and Gaster hadn't out right lied. Fell clutched the leather sleeve of Sans' jacket; he had to hope. He pushed his now cleaned dinner tray away, loathe to admit how good the food here was.

One thing about the creature itself that bothered Fell still was Gaster stating it had been docile until the last experiment and then gone out of control. He'd taken that soul wrenching ride through the portal less then twenty four hours after that creature, yet...

In the entire week he'd been in Underswap the thing hadn't attacked anyone. It hadn't been until Fell himself had attacked first that it became hostile. The destruction in the lab had been unmistakable, yet, nothing like that had occurred here. Even during their fight the creature's focus was on escape rather then tearing him apart.

He supposed it was possible that whatever experiment Sans and the doctor had been conducting had worn off. But then, why didn't it just meekly follow him when he'd caught up with it if it's natural state was to be docile? 

And it's magic.

Something about it had felt oddly familiar. A kind of prickling Fell couldn't put his finger on completely. 

His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp beep from the main door. It was opened only a sliver, a shadow hovering in the dim light beyond. It couldn't be Captain Alphys, she'd left hours ago, perhaps whatever passed for a night watch around here was simply making the rounds? Still, Fell was on edge as the lights remained off and the shadow quietly slipped in through the door, closing it behind them.

He cursed the magic dampeners as the click of shoes on tile came closer. With them on he couldn't even summon the weakest defense and there was no telling what this monsters motives were. Maybe Alphys wasn't above assassination like he'd thought. This monster moved with a purpose Fell thought he might be able to admire, if his intent didn't feel so hostile.

Fell watched as the shadow stopped short of entering the light from the window behind him. His intuition told him this situation was about to get even more complicated.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh dear oh dear....
> 
> Tumblr:  
> http://hollowredskele.tumblr.com/

Several long beats of Fell's soul passed. He could feel the stranger staring at him, tension permeating the air around them. Finally the silence was broken by the sharp click of a lighter opening. The tiny flame was held to the end of a cigarette illuminating a bony hand.

The flame dimmed on the cigarette into a glow. It gave off just enough light to make out an outline of the others face. A feeling of disquiet familiarity washed over Fell and the smell of smoke made him sneer in disgust.

"Well..." His visitor began, "This...really isn't what I expected."

"Not used to assassinating other skeletons? How pathetic, you should at least know your own weak spots." Fell snorted.

Chuckling bitterly the stranger said, "Oh I'm well aware of my weak spots, thanks," Before taking another long drag on the cigarette, "I'm just here to talk." 

The increased glow as his visitor drew in the smoke made the outline of his face clearer briefly. The boney angles were more rounded then Fell's, but the aura of tension increased from the lazy expression he wore rather then being diminished. 

Even on his guard Fell couldn't help attempting to assert the upper hand, "If you're intending to talk your target to death you're going to find yourself disappointed."

"Yeah, see, I'm really not here to kill you. Alphys wouldn't exactly take kindly to finding a pile of dust tomorrow in one of her cells. And since you're a captive audience at the moment, it's not like there's any harm in hearing me out? This is an arresting development after all, wouldn't you say?" 

'Was that a-?'

Fell's face twisted from disgust to outright loathing. It had to be puns. He really didn't need to hear any puns right now, not with Sans in stars knew what kind of condition. Worse between the puns and the glimpse of his visitors face his suspicions regarding the identity of his 'guest' were confirmed. After all where there was a 'Sans' there had to be a 'Papyrus', even if this one seemed unconventional by his standards. 

But after meeting earlier with this universes Sans, who was a royal guard cadet, Fell had never thought he'd see even a hint of this universes Papyrus. After all if things were swapped here that would mean that like his brother this Papyrus lacked even a shred of ambition. So why would he have any reason to be here? Or meet with him?

Then again, Fell thought, clutching the leather jacket he wore, how much had he not known about his own brother until recently? How much of Sans' attitude had been actual laziness? It concerned him that he didn't know the answer to that question.

"I guess deception really does run on one side of the family, regardless of universe." Fell muttered.

"What was that?"

Fell scoffed sourly in response, refusing to answer.

"Look," his visitor sighed, "Normally I'd be fine with a little word play and verbal sparring but I'm exhausted and really not in the mood."

"You're the one that opened with a pun."

"Bad habit." The stranger momentarily pulled on the cigarette again, "I have questions you have answers and since it's obvious you're some fucked up version of me I'd prefer to just lay cards on the table. I don't want you or that thing here, so my job is to get you and it as far away from my universe and my brother as possible."

"You would just let me go?" Fell said, socket raised in disbelief.

"I want you gone," He laughed, "But I'm not stupid. You tell me how you and that thing wound up here and what that thing is. I'll go hunt it down for you and then I let you out so you can take it home."

Fell laughed, tracing his scarred socket, "You wouldn't last five minutes."

"You think so little of yourself?"

"Oh please, you might be this universes idea of a sick joke version of me but if I wasn't behind these dampeners I could dust you easily." Fell snorted, "And you think you could take on that wild experiment?" It was meaningless bluster, even from behind a cell door he could feel he was playing with fire.

The other Papyrus stiffened at his words, "What did you say?"

"I said I could dus-"

"Not that, the other thing, after that."

"That you couldn't possibly take on that experiment? What about it."

Fell strained his eyes against the dark, he could barely make out the slight tremors running through Papyrus' finger bones as a hand lifted the cigarette back up to his mouth. "So it is an experiment," He heard him whisper, his voice sounding sick. Fell heard the sound of shuffling paper as Stretch presumably pulled something from his pocket, "Does it look like this?" He said, pushing a blue print close to the cell bars and into the light from the window.

Fell felt his eye sockets widen before he could control himself, the blueprint was written in an unfamiliar hand but the design of the creature on it was so similar to his quarry. It was uncanny. The one in the drawing was longer, thinner, it's tail more whip like with a narrower snout.

"Who made it?" The visiting Papyrus asked, his voice like a coiled spring.

"That isn't importa-"

"Who made it Papyrus?!"

A moment passed between them as Fell recognized the emotion in this Papyrus' voice as rising panic, "I prefer Fell," He said quietly, startling Papyrus out of his spiraling thoughts.

"Fell, fine," His visitor sighed, "Just, call me Stretch then, it'll keep things simple."

Fell waited a moment, he'd seen this kind of reaction in the guard before. Monsters who had seen too much, done too much. Underfell was a harsh universe but everyone had limits. They were never the same after passing that point. Moods sometimes turning on a dime, particularly when reminded of what had broken them in the first place. He didn't really care what his counterpart might have been through but he tucked the information away, "Keep shouting and I'm sure anyone on duty would love to have a chat with you," Fell chuckled.

"You know what," Stretch sighed, clearly out of patience and stubbed out the cigarette against his sneaker, "It doesn't matter who made it, all that matters is destroying it and sending you back."

Fell shot up, the conversation having taken an unexpected turn, "You can't!"

"Why? What would you care, I'm sure whoever made it in your universe can just make another," Stretch scoffed.

"I need to bring it back."

"I'll bring you it's dust before I figure out how to send you home."

"...that... won't work." Fell clutched at the leather jacket, his mind racing, "I have to bring it back alive, there's no choice and there's no time."

"And what are you going to do from inside a jail cell?"

"You think I won't figure a way out of here?" Fell sneered, "The great Papyrus will not be held for long."

"Sure, keep dreaming, in the meantime I have a mobile blaster to kill," Stretch stood, beginning his retreat into the darker shadows of the detainment hall.

"Wait!" Fell snapped, "Wait, please..." He couldn't believe he was resorting to begging, but what choice did he have? If Stretch found the creature before he did, if he killed it, then if Sans wasn't already dead...

The footsteps stopped.

"My brother is injured. Our royal scientist was testing experimental healing procedures using that thing. It turned hostile, destroyed the labs. Sans is... Sans is hurt, severely, near death. I have to bring that thing back alive. That experiment," He sighed, "It's the only way to save Sans."

"I'm not making any promises."

Fell watched as the door at the far end of the room opened and then closed behind Stretch. He had to get out of here as soon as possible, injuries be damned.

**

Frustrated after that conversation with Fell, Papyrus walked through the streets of New Home, exhaustion nipping at his heels. While it hadn't been a total waste of time as he was able to confirm another universes involvement, between the several teleporation trips on top of a sleepless night he was reaching his limits. All he really felt like doing now was going home and falling face first into bed.

For now the experiment had teleported who knew where in the underground, and Fell was safely contained behind bars. Papyrus could afford at least a nap while Undyne attempted to track down the creatures signal. Though that might not work out.

It was possible, being that it was from a different universe, for the thing to give off a different energy signature then the one they were uncomfortably familiar with.

Papyrus shook his head, best not to think about that at the moment. His magic, stressed from overuse today, was already making his bones itch. Best not to add paranoia to his already exhausted mental state and give his imagination any more fuel.

Lighting a cigarette to calm his nerves he wondered if luck might smile on him at least once and while he was napping one of the guard would find the creature. 'Maybe they'll kill it and save me the trouble.'

Guilt twisted his soul at the thought, even if he wouldn't be directly responsible in that instance he knew it would mean certain death for Fell's brother. That is, if Fell wasn't lying. The expression on his face though, the way he'd begged, 'He doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to use lies to get what he wants.' Papyrus thought to himself.

Still, in that instance Papyrus would be blameless. It would be much worse if he found the thing himself and it was hostile enough that he had not choice but to kill it. Or if Sans found it. 

Blue scarf tattered and torn, half buried in a mound of dust, the monstrous shadow falling over it, claws stained in marrow and coated in dust.

Papyrus shook himself. 'Don't think about it.' He chided, pulling a long drag on his cigarette, he exhaled forcefully while ignoring the slightly offended look of a passing rabbit monster.

There was also the troubling other reason why killing the experiment made his insides twist, something he hadn't felt the need to mention to Fell and the reason the mobile blaster design had eventually been completely scrapped here in Underswap.

The need for a living soul meant this creature, whatever it was now, had once been a sentient monster. A part of Papyrus that sounded like his brother, chided himself. Here he was wishing another living intelligent being dead.

Though to be fair he didn't know if this experiment was the same as the one he was unfortunately familiar with. If the energy signature it put out from it's magic was different then there was a possibility that wherever this Fell had come from they actually had the resources to cook up an artificial soul.

Or even if it had been a living monster that had been sacrificed to create it, probably nothing of it's original self remained at this point. Making it nothing more then an animal now. The thought still made him uncomfortable as he walked back out of New Home and toward the river persons dock in Hotlands. 

The riverperson scowled at him as he entered the boat while still puffing away on his cigarette. He honestly wasn't sure how many he'd smoked at this point. Today had not been a good day. Out of consideration Papyrus pinched out the cigarette before repocketing it, no sense letting it go to waste.

The boat ride was quiet, the riverperson seemed to be out of things to say for once, though Sans claimed the cloaked monster rarely spoke he usually never shut up when Papyrus was on board. Between the gentle motions of the boat, his exhaustion and the babbling of the water Papyrus nodded off.

**

Below the walkway the energy hummed, a blinding white brilliance that seemed to burn out the darkness around it. It was his greatest achievement, though he would've dismissed that claim. Instead he'd always said his greatest triumphs were his sons.

As children he and Sans had beamed with childish pride at such a comparison.

Now Papyrus just thought the old man was being stubborn.

"It's a perfectly valid idea." He argued, huffing as the long white coat on the monster walking in front of him bobbed along with his movement.

His father had only shaken his head, not even looking back at Papyrus, "An artificial soul is completely unfeasible, and to use a living monster, even a volunteer is unethical, I won't hear any more discussion about this Papyrus."

"This could be powerful enough to break the barrier! Don't you care about getting out of here? You're the one who's always talking about the stars and the sun, are we just not important enough to try and reach them?"

"Papyrus," Sighing the thin frame had turned and embraced him. Hugs were a rarity with their father, not because he didn't care, sometimes Papyrus thought it was because he cared too much, "I want you and your brother and all monsters to see the surface again. But this has to be done the right way or we're no better then those who trapped us here."

If only he had listened.

The explosion rocked the whole laboratory.

**

"Tra la la la, Here we are," The riverperson sang, the smack of the boat against the snowdin dock shaking Papyrus from his sleep. 

'Probably for the best.' He thought, the past was behind him, dead, gone and buried. He didn't need to be dreaming about it.

As Papyrus pulled himself out of the boat the riverperson sighed, shaking his head, "Bed's are for sleeping, not boats." He said quietly before pushing off the dock and on his way again.

Papyrus gave an irritated snort.

The walk home was slow, giving him time to relight his snuffed cigarette. Papyrus casually waved at a few of Snowdin's residents. He considered going into Muffet's for a bit, his soul reminding him he hadn't eaten after breakfast today, but he just didn’t' have the energy. Bed sounded better, maybe he'd raid the fridge briefly before crashing for the evening.

He approached the house, finishing his cigarette in one last puff before tossing the burnt out filter into the snow. The shed caught his attention, the door was opened wide and he could hear someone rummaging around inside.

Pausing at the entrance he could clearly see Sans, a pile by his side consisting of tent stakes that they hadn't used for at least a decade, rope and some other odds and ends. His brother was muttering to himself as he rummaged, "No that won't work." He said, discarding one of the disused tools and placing it back on the rack above their shelves.

'He's still at it?' Papyrus thought in disbelief. He certainly admired Sans' tenacity. Even after being ditched in Hotland and having his quarry teleport to parts unknown he still hadn't given up. He sighed, this had to stop, Sans had no idea what he was dealing with.

Ignoring the voice in his head that said if he just explained things for once instead of offering half truths and excuses maybe Sans might understand, he cleared his voice, "Hey bro, it's uh, it's getting pretty late, you coming in for dinner?"

No response.

That wasn't good. Arguments between him and Sans rarely escalated to this level, and Papyrus had thought that by now his little brother would be over the worst of it. He sighed, guilt gnawing at him, 'I did ditch him.'

And likely Sans was probably angrier about that then their actual argument. "Sans, seriously," He tried again, "It's late, and that thing teleported away, it could be anywhere in the Underground by now. Why don't you just let Alphys handle it and come inside? Maybe she'll let you join the investigation tomorrow after you get some sleep."

"He's not a thing." Sans muttered, almost too low to hear as his hand hovered over the tool kit he'd previously been rummaging through.

That was when Papyrus truly took in Sans' appearance, the dim lighting in the shed had made it difficult to notice at first. Sans' entire battle body was damp, as if he'd been submerged in water hours ago and had yet to change; mud was spattered all over his boots and gloves. Papyrus stilled, he hadn't... no, not after he'd left Sans in Hotland. There was no way his little brother had-

"His name is Red," Sans said, his attention back on the tool box as he began placing the equipment he'd sorted out into a knapsack.

Surging forward Papyrus grabbed Sans by the shoulders, spinning him around, "You found it?! You went near that thing? Are you hurt?! Where is it Sans?!" His hands were shaking, clenching and unclenching as images of a blue scarf coated in thick dust kept flashing through his mind. Over and Over.

Sans pulled away, teeth clenching so tightly in anger Papyrus could hear them creak, "Yes I found him," He insisted, "He was in Waterfall but then he teleported again after throwing me into a lake."

"Sans did," He couldn't believe this, was it still sentient? Had it told Sans it's name? He knew there had been a possibility, small though it was, "Did it speak to you?"

"No, no he didn't." Sans shook his head, "He's like a dog Papyrus, just starving and injured. I think he's sick."

"Then you should stay away from it Sans. An injured animal can be extremely dangerous."

"No." Sans said, a coldness lacing his voice that Papyrus hadn't heard in a very long time. His brother had a stubborn core of iron, and now he remembered why he'd just eventually given up trying to explain anything to him. Even when confronted with facts Sans refused to accept them.

Some small part of Papyrus thought maybe he was being unfair though, maybe if he worked with Sans instead of trying to stop him, maybe if Sans knew everything- 

'No, that's too dangerous, I can't,' Images flashed through his mind, claws and dust. He could never, never burden his brother with that. 'Or you're just trying to protect yourself,' He thought bitterly before pushing down a wave of guilt.

"Sans," Papyrus tried again, he had too. There hadn't been a reset in months, none of this had ever happened before, so if something happened to Sans there was no guarantee it would be undone, that it could be undone, "I can't let you go after it again, especially not alone."

Hoisting the sack over his shoulder, Sans made to push past Papyrus, "What you're going to offer to come with me again so you can ditch me without so much as an explanation?"

Okay Sans was definitely still mad about that, "I'm so-"

"I saw the way you looked when we heard it Papyrus. I'm not stupid and stars I wish you'd stop thinking I am. I wish you'd stop sabotaging everything I'm trying to accomplish!"

"I don't think you're stupid and Sans I'm not...I," Papyrus defended, "It's just, Sans you don-"

Rolling his eyelights Sans pushed him aside, "You know what? I'm done." He stomped into the snow, turning to Papyrus, his face twisted in a rage he hadn't known Sans was capable of, "I've tried to be a supportive little brother, I've tried to show you, assure you, that I can take care of myself! That I'm not a baby anymore!" He snapped, gesturing angrily, "But you never change. You just keep pushing and pushing and trying to keep me in this neat little box! I'm not a kid anymore Papyrus, I can make my own decisions and I don't need your approval!"

Turning his back on Papyrus, Sans stormed off further into the snow. Papyrus shook as he watched his little brother leave. Slowly he lit another cigarette as Sans moved completely out of sight into the trees.

His sockets were prickling with unshed tears, too wrung out from exhaustion and adrenaline; he could feel a static numbness seeping into his bones. 'This is it isn't it? I can't do anything can I?' More then anything and for the first time Papyrus wished to the stars that the kid would show up and reset. Maybe then Fell and this thing would be put back where they came from and none of this would have ever happened.

**

The further Sans got from the shed and Papyrus the worse he felt. His steps slowed beside the river, steam coming from his mouth as he huffed. The anger he'd held on to for so long was dissolving into a thick sludgy mess.

He'd seen the look on Papyrus's face as he'd pushed past him, crushed and defeated he'd been shaking. This was exactly what Sans had been afraid of, Papyrus shutting down and withdrawing as Sans asserted his own independence. 

Dropping to a nearby rock he let the pack slide from his shoulder, the tools clattering together inside breaking the quiet around him. He sighed in defeat, this wasn't what he had wanted at all.

He was no longer burning up, even if he was still angry, but he couldn’t' leave it like this, he couldn't walk out on Papyrus without at least trying to explain how he felt. How he chaffed against Papyrus' image of him as nothing more then a child. 

Even though he'd tried talking to Papyrus before, he just couldn't leave this without trying again. Not after just exploding on him. It wasn't right and it wasn't how Sans wanted to earn his brothers respect. Feeling guilty he retrieved his pack and headed back home.

Within a few minutes the house and shed were back in sight. Papyrus was no longer standing by the shed, though the door was still open. Sans closed it, tossing his sack back inside before heading into the house. 

It was pitch black, the curtains were still drawn from when they'd left this morning and all the lights were off. He could see a slushy patch of snow by the door indicating Papyrus had come inside and not wiped his shoes again.

Sighing, but feeling a little comforted by the familiarity Sans called out, "Papyrus?"

No answer, not even the creak of a bedroom door from upstairs. Worried Sans ascended the staircase, knocking lightly on his brothers door and calling for him again.

Still there was no answer.

"Papyrus, I'm sor-" He opened the door, stiffening at the empty room. Fighting down the odd sense of dread that assailed him, 'He's fine, Papyrus is fine, he's just at Muffets, that's all...', Sans went back downstairs.

He'd wait up for Papyrus and when his brother got home they were going to have a very long talk. Even if Papyrus didn't like it they had to come to some kind of agreement because it was clear the current situation was tearing them both apart.

Settling in to wait, Sans' eyelights fell on the couch next to him. Papyrus' cell phone lay forgotten, which was odd. He usually carried it everywhere so Sans could always reach him. The screen was still lit up indicating it had been less then ten minutes since Papyrus had used it and it had yet to relock.

The recent call history was displayed on screen and the last call had been from Undyne only a few minutes ago.


	7. Chapter 7

Sticking close to the tunnel wall Papyrus moved swiftly. Undyne's phone call had given him a buzz of adrenaline, enough to manage a teleport but he knew he was pushing it. _'It would really suck to hit my limit now but I have to risk it.'_

 

His bones itched in a way he hadn't felt in some time, while his magic fluctuated wildly. He did not need a flare up now, it would only make the whole situation worse. He had to resolve this quickly.

 

Papyrus had been ready to collapse back in Snowdin, barely making it to the couch as the inevitability of it all had hit him full force.

 

He was unable to protect his brother again. Sans would walk merrily to his death just like before. Only this time a human wasn't the cause and there likely wouldn't be a reset any time soon. If ever again since the human was now months overdue. This time he might lose Sans for good.

 

Stars, for once he wished it was the fault of that brat.

 

The phone in his back pocket had begun to ring. It was that annoying standard tone, the one Sans always tried to get him to change, but he had just never seen the point of doing so. He'd almost ignored the phone call; tempted to just sink into the couch and let it all play out.

 

But a tiny spark of hope made him think maybe it was Sans calling. Maybe Papyrus still had a chance to get him to listen to reason. He had pulled the phone from his pocket, a wave of hope surging through his soul which swiftly dulled as he saw...

 

It wasn't Sans calling, it was Undyne.

 

_Slamming the accept button Papyrus pulled the phone to his head. "What is it? Did you find anything?" He answered desperately._

 

_"Kinda," Undyne sighed from the other end, "I'm about ready to pass out though so I might be seeing things."_

 

_"Heh, you wouldn't be calling me if you thought that was it."_

 

_"You're right," Undyne said, "I think I found it. It's close to the signature we're familiar with but there are some differences."_

 

_Papyrus nodded, "That makes sense actually."_

 

_"Oh? I take it your talk with Alphys inmate went well?"_

 

_He snorted, "Hardly. Dude is a complete asshole but it confirmed my theory."_

 

_"Which is?"_

 

_"Not important at the moment," Papyrus said, thinking of Sans and how he was out there right now wandering the Underground, "Where's the signal coming from?"_

 

_"An unpopulated section of Waterfall, I was about to text Alphys th-"_

 

_"No! It'll raise too many questions."_

 

_"Are you serious? You still want to keep this under wraps?" Undyne huffed, "Papyrus this is bigger then us now, we need to get Alphys involved."_

 

_"I can handle it."_

 

_"You're dead on your fucking feet half the time, and earlier today you looked the closest I've seen you to having a relapse in years. This isn't the time to-"_

 

_"I can handle it," Papyrus snarled, "Give me the coordinates."_

 

_"Fine," He heard the click of Undyne typing and the text notification on his phone beeped before she continued, "But at least come by the lab and pick up yo-"_

 

_Hitting disconnect Papyrus dropped the phone on the couch. He still had time, he could save Sans, he would not lose his brother._

 

Papyrus had teleported a sizeable distance away from the exact location Undyne had sent him. This way he might be able to sneak up on the experiment instead of startling it and the shorter jump also saved some of what little energy he had left. His exhaustion still weighed heavily on him but more urgently he felt he had to end this now.

 

One way or another he was getting that thing out of here before Sans came into contact with it again. Once it was over he could call Undyne an-

 

Except he'd left his phone on the couch he had been in such a hurry to leave. He'd paused only long enough to grab a quick pastry still in the fridge before teleporting. Okay so he'd probably have to walk to Undyne's, assuming he could walk, or that he could remem-

 

Papyrus shook his head, he needed to focus, not chase a million what ifs. Whatever happened next at least Sans would be safe.

 

The sounds of growling and snuffling finally started reaching him as he continued on. Along with the musical sounds of several small waterfalls. While Papyrus rarely traveled so far into Waterfall he had been near this location a few times.

 

The tunnel here connected with a large cavern which contained a secluded field of echo flowers surrounded by small waterfalls. The small falls fed into a swiftly flowing set of streams that exited the cavern and fed into another part of the Underground's river system.

 

Nearing the mouth of the tunnel Papyrus dropped down and stayed low. This tunnel was a small off shoot that came into the field by a set of boulders and he used that to his advantage, pressing himself against them.

 

_< Not...right...not... can't.... remember...>_ The growling continued. Closer now Papyrus could interpret the sounds as a type of language. One he was soul wrenchingly familiar with. _< My...brother...I ...can't...Where...Pa...ca-n't...rem-member> _

 

A wave of sorrow washed over Papyrus as realization set in. _'Son of a bitch,'_ This was _not_ an artificial soul. This monster _had_ been someone. Once. Peeking around the boulder he watched the creature pace, shaking it's head violently as if trying to clear it. Papyrus' soul constricted in sympathy, maybe, maybe there was a way to end this peacefully.

 

The experiment was smaller then he expected, more like a large sized dog, but he knew all too well not to underestimate it. The report on Alphys' desk he'd read before talking to Fell had been very detailed regarding the collateral damage its' blasts could do and Papyrus had more then a little first hand experience himself. The experiment, _Red_ , his brother had called it, pawed at the ground again, clearly agitated. Flecks of waste magic spattered on the ground with every shake of it's skull and it had clearly been throwing up.

 

Expelling magic like that was typically a sign of illness, especially in skeleton creatures who relied heavily on magic just to stay together. Papyrus could remember how foul the excess run off tasted and he felt another pang of sympathy.

 

Staying in this state for too long was dangerous and had a side effect similar to dehydration. The monster must still be incredibly unstable and was likely unable to normalize it's own internal magic balance. Papyrus' own magic seemed to roll in response as bad memories floated to the surface.

 

He could already feel the first prickling aches along his spine and his finger bones were twitching. He didn't know how much time he had left at this point. But Sans was on his way and while teleporting might have bought Papyrus some distance he couldn't be sure how much time he had. Sans was incredibly tenacious and he'd be alert for the smallest sign that this Red was still in Waterfall somewhere.

 

There was no doubt Sans would eventually find them but what state he found them in was the real question. Papyrus' best bet was to end this as fast as possible _then_ get to Undyne for the stabilizers. If he was lucky there would be nothing for Sans to find but an empty cavern and if he was unlucky Sans would find Reds' dust. He didn't want to even consider the third possibility.

 

With no choice but to _**act**_ Papyrus prepared to make his move.

 

**

 

Sans had the TV on but couldn't seem to focus on the NTT program. It didn't really matter it was just a rerun since it was getting pretty late. He clicked it off, sitting in the dark and listening to the wind. A low drone had started up a short while ago meaning they were probably in for another snowstorm soon.

 

_'One of the disadvantages of living in Snowdin'_ , he sighed, _'being snowed in.'_ Sans groaned, now his inner voice sounded like Papyrus.

 

His eyelights landed on the phone he had placed on the coffee table and that sick feeling returned in his soul. The longer he sat there listening to the wind and the tick of the clock over the TV the worse it became. Papyrus, even upset, never left his phone behind.

 

_'He's at Muffet's,'_ Sans tried to reassure himself, but the feeling wouldn't relent.

 

Finally with an exasperated sigh Sans picked his own phone from his pocket and flicked through his contacts. _'She's going to think you're nuts.'_ He thought, but pressed the call button for Muffet's cafe anyway.

 

"Muffet's, how can I help you?" Came the sweet voice dripping with charisma from the other end of the line.

 

"Hey Muffet, it's Sans."

 

"Sans sweetie what can I help you with?"

 

"Can you hand the phone to Papyrus? I really need to talk to him and he left his phone at home."

 

"I would but Papyrus isn't here," Muffet said, "Did you two have a fight?"

 

Sans felt his soul dropping out of his rib cage, "S-something like that. Look if he comes in could you please tell him to come home right away?"

 

"Absolutely sweetie, have a good night."

 

"You too Muffet," Sans rushed out, quickly hitting the disconnect on the call.

 

_'Okay Sans, get a hold of yourself!'_ He began to panic, _'Papyrus is fine, He's fine!'_

 

Suddenly Papyrus' phone blared to life on the coffee table. Sans made a grab for it, grimacing from hearing that awful ringtone. He swore Papyrus left it just to annoy him. He stared at the screen seeing Undyne's contact picture. Undyne had been the last person Papyrus had talked to.

 

" _PAPYRUS WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!?!!_ " Undyne screeched as Sans accepted the call, " _ARE YOU INSANE!? THESE READI-_ "

 

"Undyne!" Sans interrupted getting her attention, "Do you know where Papyrus is?"

 

Undyne fell silent but he could hear her shuffling, "Don't you dare hang up! Papyrus left his phone here, he's not at Muffet's and you were the last person he spoke to! Now you're calling back yelling at him! What is going on? Where's my brother?!"

 

**

It wasn't right. It wasn't supposed to be like this. It, no he, stared down at his claws sunk into the torn up earth. He snarled in what he knew now to be words, _< Not...right...>_. Who was he? Where was he?

 

An image blinded his blurred vision. He was at a desk, the mirror above it reflecting back a rounded skull with pointed teeth. A thick red sweater over a boney frame. Not a feral creature, not an animal, a person with sentience and sense of self. A pencil was held in the reflections long skeletal fingers and when he looked down he could see the note pad as if he himself was writing.

 

As if those fingers belonged to him.

 

Voices invaded his skull, throbbing in their insistence but lacking the searing pain of their earlier attempts to break through.

 

_"Sans! You promised!!"_

 

_"Sans?"_

 

_"Sans, I think it's best you give up being a sentry."_

 

Sans. That was his name wasn't it? Then... This image was him wasn't it? This short skeleton was him. He watched as in his minds eye the writing in the notepad became frantic. He could feel the first stings of a long forgotten phantom pain begin to arc up his spine. He watched as those skeletal fingers began to tremble and the pencil fell to the floor.

 

Panic swelled in his pulsing soul. Another name and face bubbling to the surface. The same face that had haunted him in the pitch black of the tunnels. A grinning face with a toothless smile and hollow black eyes. That face was the one responsible for this. He knew that faces name now. Gaster. What had _Gaster_ done to him?

 

More voices; more words bubbled up from the mire of his memories.

 

_"Assist you in becoming less pathetic for a start." Gaster snarled, "Memory is of no relevance, so long as you uphold your end of things."_

 

What had he _allowed_ Gaster to do?

 

_"Whatever it takes doc." Sans fought back the urge to rip his hand away as those deceptively frail fingers closed around it, "Whatever it takes."_

 

Had he _wanted_ this?

 

"Hello? Red? That's what my brother called you right?" A voice echoed around the cavern and pulled him back to the present.

 

Startled his head swung around looking for the source. Inhaling deeply he took in the acrid and familiar scent of cigarette smoke and some forgotten part of him gave a twist of longing.

 

Tilting his head he continued to listen to the voice.

 

"So yeah, uh Red, I can understand you so feel free to start growl talking again." There was a rather nervous pause, "Any time now."

 

_"Fascinating" Gaster had smiled, marking more information down on his datapad. Sans swore if the asshole didn't stop taking notes and start doing something he was going to shove that datapad down his throat. Lack of opposable thumbs right now be damned._

 

_< Would you kindly stop fucking around!>_

 

_"Clearly you're still in there," Sans had almost missed the slight tone of disappointment to Gaster's voice. He glared, watching as the scientist mixed a few vials together, "The loss of speech is something of a benefit actually."_

 

_< Oh FUCK you.> He had snapped. _

 

Sans coughed, more sickly dark red magic falling from his parted jaws, _< Wh-who?>_ He felt so exhausted, his bones aching worse then he could ever remember.

 

_<...i-is...R-red? > _ He managed.

 

"My brother called you that. He's a little guy, likes wearing blue? Do you remember?"

 

_"It's good huh Red?" Said a blurry bright blue figure, as he lifted his muzzle from the meat mixture. He growled and gave a sharp bark, <STAY BACK!>. This was his food._

 

Yes, there had been...someone... _< Blue...?>_

 

"Yeah Blue. Look I can help you, but, you gotta calm down alright?"

 

_< C-ca-n't....h-help.>_ There was nothing whoever this was could do, only access to Gaster's equipment might be able to help at this point.

 

The voice gave a bitter chuckle, "Yeah, you'd actually be surprised about that. At least let me come out and take you somewhere safe?"

 

Sans sat down heavily, it would be good to sleep, his mind was a muddled mess, his vision blurry and his bones aching. More sleep would probably help continue to drain off whatever Gaster had done to his mind since it already seemed to be fading, _< F-fine.>_

 

A blurry figure came out from behind a group of shadowed boulders and Sans froze, his sockets dark with rage. Even through his fucked up vision he'd know that face. He hissed.

 

Gaster stood there, grinning. Did he really think Sans was so stupid now that he'd figured everything out?

 

Gaster began to speak again but the words were a garbled mess overlayed with images of a months worth of torment. A month before he'd finally found out the truth and broke through the charade the sadistic bastard had been playing.

 

He would not be taken back, not again, not ever!

 

**

Sans had never run so fast in his life. He made the trek to the junction he'd agreed to meet Undyne at in Waterfall in record time. Undyne was just rounding the corner, looking thoroughly drenched from having to walk through Hotland.

 

She'd never enjoyed the heat, he remembered, and kept the labs air conditioning cranked up at all hours. So even the short walk into Waterfall must've been exhausting. She quickly dunked her head under a nearby water trickle falling down the cavern wall.

 

"Where's Papyrus?" Sans questioned impatiently. Undyne hadn't given him any real details over the phone, just told him to meet her here as soon as possible.

 

"Doing something fucking stupid if my readings are accurate." She grumbled, pulling a device from her shoulder bag.

 

Sans was too worried for Papyrus to comment on her language. He realized the device must be some kind of scanner based on the screen and watched as Undyne fiddled with the knobs. She muttered about difficulty in detecting signals remotely before giving a shout of triumph and beginning to jog down another tunnel.

 

"Undyne where are we going?!" Sans jogged after her, easily keeping up from his years of training.

 

"I need you to call Alphys and give her the coordinates I'm going to read off."

 

"Why?" Sans asked, pulling his phone from his pocket and unlocking it.

 

"Because your brother is a fucking idiot," Undyne snarled, "And judging from the readings has clearly gotten himself way over his head and I don't fucking care how secretive that asshole wants to be. I'm not letting my best friend turn to goddamn dust."

 

**

 

The wave of bone sailed through the air but the blaster nimbly leaped aside into the shallow stream. Papyrus' hand was shaking violently, his vision starting to blur and the prickle along his spine was getting worse with each passing turn.

 

At first talking to Red had seemed to reach the monster he'd been but as soon as Papyrus had stepped out from cover he'd gone wild. Red eye lights had become nothing more then pin pricks before blowing out into hollow black sockets at the sight of him.

 

Growling it had thrown itself at him like an animal, screaming something too garbled to decipher. It had been a stupid mistake to try and show **mercy** to this thing.

 

As the thing stared at him from the stream, magic dripping from it's mouth he could hear it all too clearly. _< I'll k-ki-il-ill y-ou>_ It snarled out, _< I-I'll kk-ii-ll yo-u>_. It leapt at him, moving incredibly fast for its' bulk.

 

Papyrus barely had time to do a short range teleport, expending even more energy. He felt the first cracks and snaps along his spine. _'Shit!'_ He was almost out of time, his lack of planning was really coming back to bite him.

 

_< I'LL K-II-LL Y-OU GA-SSSSTE-RR!!!> _

 

He froze at the howled out name giving the experiment the opening it needed to barrel into him. It pinned him down with its' body weight. Papyrus tried to summon another bone attack but his magic sputtered and shorted, his reserves depleted.

 

Sharp aches were beginning to lance through his bones and the first cracks were appearing along his fingertips, _'Out of time.'_

 

The experiments head came back, white light already building in its' jaw, Papyrus struggled briefly but it had him pinned to the floor with it's stockier weight, digging into him and pushing him into the damp ground. He began to panic which sped up the process running through him and his magic began to boil.

 

"PAPYRUS! RED! STOP IT! NO!!" Sans yelled from the tunnel entrance.

 

The experiments head swivels toward Sans, it's attack disappearing as it homes in on him.

 

"San's don't go out there!" That was clearly Undyne.

 

Papyrus' mind raced, "SANS RUN NOW! GET HIM AWAY FROM HERE UNDYNE!" He shouted and raked his now sharpened fingertips into the experiments sternum leaving long dripping furrows.

 

It screeched and leapt away to keep Papyrus' second strike from connecting with its' previously wounded left eye socket.

 

A volley of bones surrounded it, Sans' doing, and its' tail lashed in anger against the impromptu cage. They raced toward Papyrus who pulled his hood down swiftly while hunching over.

 

He hissed, normal speech already becoming a difficult mess, "Get him out of here Undyne, it's not safe."

 

"You fucking idiot," Undyne hissed ignoring him as she reached into her bag.

 

Sans' hand shot out and before Papyrus could pull away he'd grabbed one of his hands, staring at the now claw like fingers, "Papyrus?" Fear, he could practically smell it now coming off Sans as his little brother peered beneath his hood. He stared at what Papyrus knew were now sharpened teeth, his skull already cracking and beginning to push outward.

 

"You need to take this now!" That was Undyne trying to shove the stabilizer pills in his mouth.

 

A sudden charging whine cut through the air as the experiments head reared back, a blast aimed at the bone cage around it forming in it's mouth.

 

"Red! Don't!" Sans yelled, too late as the attack went off, striking the bone constructs and shattering them into pieces before hitting the cave wall behind it.

 

The sudden shock and power of the impact on the rock wall made the cavern around them tremble; rocks broke loose and fell all around them.

 

Yelling to get down Papyrus threw himself over Undyne and his brother, flattening them all to the floor as part of the ceiling collapsed.

 

**

 

Fell isn't sure exactly how long it's been since his visitor left. The night guard has made several trips in and out of the room already though. He's mostly been in a light doze the whole time, scheming and trying to think how he might be able to get a hold of the idiots keys.

 

Or how he might disable the dampener long enough to break the bars on the window. Bone attacks aren't completely suited to such things but maybe a concentrated strike toward the window edge would break a hole in it. Or he could go more subtle and use a sharpened bone attack to pick the lock to his cell.

 

He frowns at the idea, _'I've never been very good at lock picking.'_

 

The door to the holding cells opens again and the guard comes in. Fell counts his footsteps with his sockets closed and knows the fool has come close to the bars this time. Apparently his stillness seems to be bothering the horse faced guard. In a flash Fell considers playing unconscious or that he's falling down but before the idea can take shape he hears the sharp ring of a phone.

 

Cracking open a socket, his eye light staying dim, he can see that the guard has his back to the bars, a phone pressed to his ear, listening.

 

"...Understood sir," He says, unaware of Fell creeping closer behind him, "If I may ask a question before you leave?"

 

Fell is close enough now to barely make out the tinny affirmative noise spoken on the other end of the line.

 

"Will the special containment unit really be enough? I mean, according to Wilfred's report that feral blasted a hole in an apartment building. Even with the dampeners I have concerns about that level of power sir."

 

Fell's soul is jumping, they've located his target? How?! The guards here are bumbling idiots, even if they do currently have him in bit of a bind, it's only due to his injuries. _'Stretch!'_ , He realizes, it has to be that worthless excuse for a Papyrus! It's the only way.

 

He hears another tinny response from the other end of the phone but can't make out more then the seriousness of the tone, and the guard nods, "I understand sir, I'm glad the Captain's already thought of it. Good hunting in Waterfall sir."

 

As the guards phone snaps shut Fell can hear the muffled sounds of booted feet from out in the courtyard and a few more guards passing through the closed door outside the holding area. Before the horse headed guard can move his hands snap out through the bars.

 

Lighting fast one coils around the guards throat with the other covering his muzzle. Fell pulls back, slamming the guard against the bars, grateful for the noise outside covering the sound of a solid body hitting metal.

 

As the guards struggling begins to cease Fell almost feels a stab of pity.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note, first is that this is the end of the current block of chapters I have written. So there may be a bit of a wait while I write the next block of 3 or 4 and begin to post again. I don't intend to abandon this story and I know where we're going ;). I just really like to write in blocks to try and double/triple check my pacing. I apologize in advance that some of you probably want to murder me considering how this chapter ends. >.>;;;;; Feel free to pester me on tumblr http://hollowredskele.tumblr.com/ I also post progress snippets there too so you'll know what I'm up to. ;) as well as my current distractions and my artwork or art I receive :D. 
> 
> Second is that I worry I might need to tag things? Maybe? I'm not sure? And I hate giving accidental spoilers. If anyone feels that something in a chapter warrants a tag though please let me know and I'll add it. I'm not trying to be insensitive I just am never sure what does or doesn't need tags? I try but I'm not good at tags and I hate giving away spoilers but I do want to be respectful if someone feels a tag is warranted. Just drop me a note and I'll add a tag.


	8. Chapter 8

The first thing that reached Sans as his consciousness slowly returned was the scrape of settling stone. He opened his sockets to see nothing but pitch black surrounding him. The air was stifling and a heavy weight was smothering him from above.

Other sounds began to reach him, cracking bone and gasps of pain.

"P-papyrus?" Sans called. His only answer was a groaning hiss.

He felt something shift beside him, "S-Sans?" Undyne's voice wavered, "You alright?"

"I'm fine," Sans said, pushing away her concern. His head was pounding and he could feel a slow trickling creep down his forehead. Most likely a marrow leaking cut but that wasn't important right now, "Papyrus can you hear me?"

The body pinning him down was trembling and began to rattle as the sounds of splintering bone became louder, echoing in the confined space. He received an answering hiss that shifted into pained snarling.

"It'll be okay Sans," Undyne said, her hand grabbing his sleeve in the dark. She sounded weirdly calm considering Papyrus seemed to be transforming into something right above their heads.

Even as his soul pounded in fear for his brother and for their lives, Sans was connecting the dots. Undyne's phone call, her scolding Papyrus when they found him and Papyrus' frozen expression when he'd first heard Red's pained screech back in Hotland.

It was crystal clear to him now.

"You knew about this." 

It was a statement, not a question. 

Undyne sighed, "You can chew me the fuck out later Sans, but right now we need to get out of here."

Above them the sounds of cracking bone had already slowed to a stop, loud panting filled the dark around them. Papyrus didn't feel much heavier than before, Sans realized; he called out again, "Papyrus are you okay?"

He tried to move, to push up and see if he could maybe light the space around them with some magic but Papyrus moved, a clawed hand resting on his back and pushing him into the dirt, "Oof! Papyrus!?"

"Let me up bone head!" Undyne growled, Sans could feel her struggling at his side, "What the hell do you think you're doing! Alphys could be here any minute and you need to take your damn stabilizers before she shows up if you want to keep your stupid secret!!"

Instead of an answer Papyrus must've pushed her down less gently this time. Sans heard her hit the dirt with a grunt.

"Undyne what is he-"

Sans' question was cut off by a brilliant white glow that lit the space around them. He tried to shift upward in order to get a good look at Papyrus but found himself too thoroughly pinned to manage it.

"Sans keep your head down," Undyne barked at him, "Papyrus if you bring this whole thing down on us I swe-" 

Undyne's ranting was cut off as Papyrus let loose a high powered blast. It struck the rubble in front of them causing the rocks to explode outward. He immediately hunkered down over them protecting them as the stones around them trembled from the blast. Sans could just make out the outline of his brothers transformed skull in the weak light.

When the stones stopped trembling around them Sans lifted his head, coughing at the dust raised from the blast and the ozone smell of Papyrus' magic. He felt a gentle nudge on his shoulder by a pointed muzzle. A slight push toward the exit in front of them.

Needing no further prompting he crawled arm over arm, Undyne following him, cursing the whole way, until they were clear of the fallen rocks. 

"Stupid asshole," Undyne snarled back at the rock pile, "If that blast of yours hadn't been hot enough you could've brought the whole thing down on our heads you idiot!"

A snort from the rock pile was her answer.

"Don't you take that attitude with me!"

In any other situation Sans would've laughed at their bickering. He sighed, taking stock of Undyne's injuries and conjuring some healing magic. She had a long gash down her arm where a rock had torn straight through her coat but otherwise she seemed alright. Dusty and bruised certainly, but otherwise fine.

"Thanks," She said before looking over at the rock pile, "Are you going to come out of there or am I going to have to drag you out by the tail?"

Papyrus let out a reverberating grumble before slinking from the fallen rocks and Sans froze, his eye lights almost guttering out in shock.

Papyrus was, size wise, about the same in this form. But his neck was longer and supported a rather pointed muzzled skull compared to Red's broader one. And where Red had four sweeping backwards horns, Papyrus' skull only had two. He looked leaner too, built for speed with a long flexible tail which was currently twitching in distress as he took in Sans' stare.

Sans watched as Papyrus' eye lights began to waver slightly, a clear sign his brother was nervous. He subtlety shifted his weight to the balls of his paws, his shoes were gone, and it was then Sans noted that he was favoring one of his back legs which was leaking marrow from a large fracture. 

"Papyrus don't you dare." Sans hissed, knowing his brother tended to run away from confrontation when he felt cornered. Could Papyrus teleport in this state like Red had? He looked exhausted but there was no mistaking that he was about to flee.

Undyne meanwhile began to dig in her bag, "Just let me get the stabilizers before Alphys gets here."

Sans reached out intending to begin healing Papyrus' wounds but his brother whipped around, "Don't you dare!" Sans repeated to no effect as Papyrus broke into a run.

Darting between Undyne and Sans, even with only three fully functioning legs, Papyrus was fast. Sans lunged at him, attempting to grab him by the neck as he had previously done with Red but he missed, landing face first in the dirt. 

Undyne scrambled up from the ground, breaking into a loping run while yelling at Sans to "Stay here and wait for Alphys!" 

Grumbling to soothe his frayed nerves, Sans brushed himself off as he watched his brother and Undyne disappear down a tunnel. Undyne yelling swears and curses at Papyrus. He almost followed, Undyne's instructions be damned, he owed Papyrus a solid punch after all this.

His eyes fell on the remainder of the rubble around him though and he felt ice run through him at the sight of a clawed bone paw extending from another nearby rock pile. 

"Red!" Rushing over Sans quickly dropped to his knees and began shifting the loose rocks, hoping that Red wasn't on the verge of dusting.

**

Undyne despised running with a passion. The last time she'd had to sprint like this had been due to a similar scenario only that had been in a contained lab with VERY few exits! This whole thing was crazy, she'd known from the start that Papyrus going after this Red character was a BAD idea. He should have at least waited until he'd gotten some rest!

The idiot had been exhausted even when she'd seen him earlier, in what was quickly becoming yesterday, and excessive stress always caused one of these flare ups. She'd seen it building up for months, but every time she'd tried to tell Papyrus to take it easy he'd waved her off.

'And continue to go down into the storage area and obsessively check whatever the hell he keeps down there!' Maybe she should've snooped. Maybe doing that would've given her SOME idea of what Papyrus thought he was so good at hiding.

Panting Undyne struggled to keep Papyrus in view ahead of her. Even on three working legs he was annoyingly fast. She was only thankful that his magic was probably too drained to teleport between changing forms and that blast he'd used to free them. 

"Papyrus!" She gasped out, grateful that they weren't in Snowdin. She'd probably have lost him already if she'd had to run through ankle deep snow. "STRETCH," She hollered, using the nickname she'd given him years ago, "Slow the fuck down!"

He wasn't running because he didn't recognize her, she knew that. He'd been far too aware of his surroundings when they'd been trapped; far too careful to protect her and Sans when he'd blasted a hole in the rubble and far too responsive when she'd chewed him out. Papyrus wasn't in a feral mindset, she'd seen that in earliest days, he was just a coward.

"I know goddamned well you're not out of your head!" She managed, panting and winded as she continued to push herself. He faltered a bit, maybe she'd finally gotten through to that thick head of his. Which was good because her legs were burning and she didn't know how much further she could chase him.

"Stop running away!" 

She watched him slowdown as she ran to catch up, until finally he fell into a walk before stopping completely. His ribs heaving and bones rattling softly. He was still tense as a live wire but at least he was listening.

For once.

Catching up, Undyne doubled over, gasping and gulping at the air. Her leg muscles burned and she doubted the forced exercise was going to help her already battered body. "God...damn...it...Stretch," She panted, "I...know...you're...freaked...that Sans...saw you...but...seriously...you know I...hate...running!"

Papyrus trembled, growling low with his eye sockets screwed tight.

"Fuck, you know I can't understand you like this."

Lifting his snout Papyrus flicked it back the way they'd come, emitting another growl and purposely widening his sockets as if in fear or alarm.

"Look it's not all that bad," Undyne said, guessing at the reason Papyrus was upset, "At least Sans didn't scream right?"

She tried to smile reassuringly but Papyrus just gave her a flat expression.

"Okay yeah so maybe it is that bad. So what," He snorted, "I'm serious Stretch. Sans isn't a little kid and eventually, one of these days, he was bound to find out about this."

Growling Papyrus shook his head.

"No this wouldn't be how I would've wanted him to find out either. Then again, I don't think you were ever actually planning on telling him, were you?"

He wouldn't look at her, his eyes focusing away on the ground to some unseen point.

"Yeah that's what I thought. Now seriously Stretch, let's knock off the fucking pity party. You need to take your stabilizers and get out of here before Alphys shows up."

With a sharp bark Papyrus snarled at her.

Undyne sighed, "I know you said not to get her involved but what choice did I have? You went completely AWOL, Sans picked up when I called and was out of his mind with worry. Plus the readings that other blaster was giving off were insane!" She pulled the jar of pills from her bag, "Now get over here you big baby and take your pills."

Reluctantly Papyrus obeyed, limping forward. He was a mess, clothing torn from the transformation and completely covered in dirt from the rock fall. Undyne pulled her reader from her bag and gave him a quick scan.

She clicked her tongue and popped the pill bottle open, carefully doling out three of the long capsules. She held them in her hand, stretching it toward Papyrus who huffed and snorted when he took notice of the dosage.

"Don't give me that," She scolded, "Any smaller of a dose and it might not be enough based on my readings. You seriously overdid it and besides, you need the sleep. I'll handle Sans and Alphys will be here soon, she'll take care of our mystery blaster."

Papyrus paused mid way to reaching out with his muzzle, looking up at Undyne with a startled and urgent expression. He began whipping his tail back and forth, agitation clear in every stiff bone.

"Yes it was necessary to call her," Undyne snapped at having to repeat herself, "Look don't you think it's a little late to be keeping her in the dark? Besides it's not like she's going to see you. What do you care about her taking custody over the other one? And just so you know, I will handle Sans. Frankly," She grumbled, "I think he's already figured out I know more than I've said, so I expect to be thoroughly grilled while you're off taking a damned nap!"

Papyrus slumped in defeat, coming to the same conclusion Undyne already had. There was no getting out of Sans being involved now. With a sigh, Papyrus leaned down again, delicately picking up each pill with his teeth and swallowing them one at a time from her hand. 

It would be several minutes before the medicine started to take effect, but the first thing it should do before the drowsiness kicked in was to let Papyrus teleport again.

"You should teleport back to the lab as soon as you can before you're knocked out. If that blaster even survived the rock fall I'll field Alphys questions as best I can. Knowing Sans he'll wait till we get back to the lab to meet you before giving me the third degree." Undyne sighed, she really wasn't looking forward to a lecture.

As she made to leave though, Papyrus stopped her, tugging on her coat, "Ugh this coat is ripped up enough Stretch, what is it?"

Waving the end of his tail to make sure she was focusing on it, Papyrus proceeded to make a series of scratch marks with it in the dirt. He couldn't write well with it, and his claws were all but useless for fine movement, but the first time he'd transformed, when he'd been trapped in this state for over a month they'd started using Morse code for communication.

He could easily scratch a dash or tap a dot into the ground with his tail or bang on a surface in code in order to communicate to make up for his lack of understandable speech. 

The marks were slightly shaky, Papyrus was clearly out of practice after so long, so it took her a bit to translate them into actual words. She blinked hard, reading over the message again. "Are you sure? I mean...that's not possible right? I-I know we've talked about the theory for years but for someone to actually be from-" Pausing, her hand lifting to her chin in thought she carefully put together her limited information, "It certainly would explain a few things. Like how another mobile blaster even exists when those plans were untouched in my lab and-"

Papyrus interrupted her again with a snort urgently drawing more marks. Undyne's heart stopped, her hands going clammy. Well clammier then usual. 

"That- A-are your sure?!"

Papyrus nodded.

"Okay, okay," She repeated trying to calm her horror, "That's horrible."

Making one more quick set of marks instructing her to bring Red to the lab as well, Papyrus took off into the depths of Waterfall.

"Don't get lost idiot and remember to teleport as soon as you can!" Undyne yelled before running back toward where she'd left Sans. And this Red. 'A monster from an alternate universe.' Her mind spun with so many questions and possibilities, excitement coursing through her veins. She had to get back there before Alphys arrived.

**

Shifting the rocks was painfully slow and difficult. Sans had been forced to pause regularly to make sure the whole pile didn't come sliding down on top of the very monster he was trying to save. He was already sweating from it, irritated that he couldn't just use blue magic on inanimate objects. 

"This would be a lot faster," He grumbled, fighting to catch his breath, "If Undyne and Papyrus hadn't taken off."

Shifting another small set of stones Sans was relieved to finally see the crown of Red's skull. He carefully brushed away some gravel and loose dirt digging frantically to reveal Red's face and neck. He appeared to still be alive, air whistling out of his nose hole in a raspy whine. The crack over his left eye looked larger, marrow steadily leaking from it, but at least he wasn't turning to dust. Yet. Sans took the cleanest part of his torn shirt and carefully began to wipe away the dripping marrow.

Towards the top the crack now branched out in a spider's web of minor fractures. Digging Red the rest of the way out could wait a minute, he needed to have those healed as soon as possible.

Steadying himself Sans reached out, green magic glowing at the end of his gloved fingers. He didn't dare touch Red directly in case the jolt of pain roused him from unconsciousness. He might struggle and make whatever other injuries Sans couldn't see even worse.

Calmly Sans let the magic do the work but he couldn't help the twist in his soul, "I hope Papyrus is okay."

Papyrus had taken the brunt of their rock fall and though he'd run off, what if his back looked like Red's injury here? He could be seriously hurt, not just his leg and without healing he might have permanent damage.

Feeling, more than seeing, that the healing magic had done all it could Sans pulled his hand back. The spider webbing was gone, but the large crack Red had gained from the fight with Alphys prisoner was still there and definitely still larger than it had been. It might close up some over time with good food, rest and regular treatments but likely Red would always have a significant crack.

Sans began to shift the rubble covering Red again, using physical labor to drive out the sick feeling gnawing at him. It was a good distraction, letting his mind numb to all thought except for the movement of the next stone.

Partway through freeing Red's forelegs his breathing changed and Sans paused. Still and tense he watched the legs twitch slightly as Red began to stir. His eye sockets opened a crack.

"Red?" 

There was a confused rumble. 

"You okay there."

A single red eye light focused on Sans, the socket momentarily widening in surprise or was the realization? Red seemed to assess the situation before relaxing slightly and giving a quick nod.

"You understand me?"

Another short nod. Red blinked, stiffly moving a foreleg and holding the paw against his skull. 

"I'm sorry, I did what I could for your head but it's cracked pretty bad. Let's get you out of here and to the lab, Undyne can-"

Red wheezed, sockets blown wide and eye lights trembling.

"What is it? Red?"

He shook his head giving a slight grumble and making a sort of dismissive motion with his paw.

"O-Okay," Sans said, unsure of what that had been about, "Let me get you out of here." 

Reaching for another rock pinning down Red's rib cage Sans paused when he heard panting. He looked over his shoulder to see Undyne reappear looking exhausted. Red took a sharp breath as he stared at Undyne. His bones rattled slightly before he shut his sockets tight. He inhaled deeply, seeming to force himself to calm down.

"You okay?" Sans whispered. 

Red huffed in response, "I'll take that as a yes."

"Sans! H-holy shit!" Undyne came to a screeching halt seeing that Red's head and front legs were free and that he was conscious.

"Language Undyne."

"Uh r-right." She said edging closer nervously, "H-hey uh..."

"Red," Sans said, shifting another rock with a grunt, "At least that's what I'm calling him." Sans turned to Red, "Of course I didn't realize you could fully understand me at the time. I uh, hope you don't mind."

Red gave a sort of shrugging motion. 

"Okay then. Undyne this is Red, Red this is Undyne. Now that introductions are finished can you please help me and where's Papyrus?"

Red blinked, looking from Undyne to Sans at the mention of Papyrus' name, questions and frustrations clearly waring in the twist of his sockets and month. He growled and grumbled, trying to ask or say something.

"I know you both have a lot of questions right now," Undyne said, "But we need to get you out of this rock pile and meet up with Papyrus in the lab before-"

"Is everyone okay?!" Alphys voice and the sound of heavy booted feet rang out from across the cavern.

"-before Alphys gets here." Undyne sighed. "We're okay Alphys, battered and bruised but otherwise fine!" She called out, waving at Alphys, "Can you come here a minute? Alone, please?" Turning to Red and Sans, she hissed, "Both of you play along with me!"

"What I can't lie-"

"Sans," Undyne locked eyes with him, her face dead serious, "If Alphys thinks either of us is in a hint of danger Red could be locked up at best and dusted immediately at worst," Red snarled in response to that, "You shut up!" Undyne snapped, "both of you just follow my lead okay?"

"Okay." Sans said, loathing this idea with every fiber of his soul.

Red nodded, clearly working to stay calm as crimson colored sweat broke out along his skull.

Undyne could see Alphys bristling with electricity from here at seeing an alert and conscious Red, "It's okay Alphys," She tried to reassure her, "I'll explain, just, p-please calm down."

Taking a deep breath to calm her flaring magic Alphys gave a stern order to her troops to be on guard and prepared to move at her signal before she stepped away. She walked with her eyes fixed on Red. He lowered his skull and eyes, his bones giving a nervous rattle.

Almost absently Sans reached out, placing a comforting hand on Red's shoulder blade. Undyne could see Alphys first tense at his movement but then relax as Red didn't lash out. Still she maintained a wary eye as she completed her approach.

"Where's Papyrus?" Alphys asked.

"H-He went back to the-the lab to get it ready," Undyne said, her fingers picking at the sleeves of her torn coat, "R-Red here needs so-some treatment." She gestured to Red who stared at Alphys, his nervousness seeming to be replaced with a curious stare.

Alphys gave him a hard look in return, "....His injuries can be treated in containment."

"Captain containment isn't necessary!" Sans said, his free hand curling into a trembling fist. It was so rarely used, a method of detainment for only the most dangerous prisoners, "It's far too harsh for Red, he didn't-"

"Too harsh?" Alphys voice was ice, "Too harsh! After all this?!" She gestured to the rubble around the cavern, "After damaging a building in the capital? Endangering civilian lives?! This is no pick pocket or common thief Cadet Sans!"

"It's not his fault-"

"Cadet Sans!" Sans felt small and insignificant as Alphys pinned him with her gaze, "You will stand aside and allow my men and I to take this monster into custody for containment. Once we've determined what sort of threat he poses the containment will be released or he will be dusted."

Red began to snarl, magic crackling from his eye sockets.

"Alphys please!" Undyne said, her voice firmer then it had ever been with the guard captain, "Red isn't to blame for this. I am."

Alphys head whipped around, staring at Undyne in disbelief, "You? How are you at fault?"

"Red is-isn't a feral monster, he wo-works with me part time in the-the lab. He's a friend..." Undyne sighed, gaze drifting to the ground, still mindlessly tearing at her coat sleeves as her voice began to shake, "Th-There was an ac-accident. W-we w-ere working o-on an experiment t-together a-and...w-well you can see the, the results."

"This had to have happened more then a week ago Undyne," Alphys said softly, her hands gently taking hold of Undyne's, "Why didn't you notify the guard there'd been an accident? And Red's family? What about them?"

"Red doesn't have any family." Sans butted in, his voice shaking slightly, "He... lived alone in the capital."

Red nodded.

"So he's a friend of yours?" Alphys voice was full of creeping suspicion, even if her tone was still gentle, "Odd you've never spoken of him."

"Not really," Sans said, "Papyrus knows more about Red because he visits Undyne so much." 'She's not buying this,' Sans realized, 'she knows we're lying.'

"I see." Was all Alphys said, looking Red over, "And the damage to this cavern? Or the city?"

"That was because he was attacked! At least the city was..." Sans quickly jumped in, "You have his attacker under custody already!"

"Indeed I do. An attacker, I might add, who doesn't appear on any civilian registries. Rather unusual don't you think? And something I hardly think is unrelated. What's really going on here Undyne?"

"I-I, A-alphys I-"

"If I let you take him back to the lab and he runs wild he could injure you or Sans or Papyrus if he really is back at the lab preparing things."

Red vigorously shook his head in denial, a grumbling growl coming out as he frantically made attempts at speech. Alphys paused, staring at him as he began trying to gesture with his freed front paw waving at her.

"You understand me."

Red nodded, he gestured toward his skull and the crack over his eye as best he could, continuing to growl.

"It was his head injury Alphys," Undyne spoke up, her voice growing stronger, "Th-That's what made him act feral, it's no different from when any other monster is se-severely injured. Please Alphys I know I can mix up some medicine in the lab to help him return to a normal form, just, pl-please, let me take him there."

"Most other monsters can't blast a hole in a building or cause a rockfall," Alphys pointed out.

"I'll use a magic dampener in the lab! Just please Alphys," Undyne pleaded, "I have to fix this."

Sighing, Alphys face softened, reminding Sans of all those safely tucked away letters she kept hidden in the back of her filing cabinet where she thought no one would see them, "I'm going to regret this but fine," Undyne gave an ecstatic whoop, Red flinched at the noise, "with a dampener though." Alphys added sternly. 

Giving a toothy victory grin, Undyne lunged, impulsively hugging Alphys before dropping her hands and quickly stepping away in embarrassment. Both were blushing and Sans stifled a chuckle at their obvious attraction. He could practically feel Red rolling his eye lights behind him.

Alphys cleared her throat loudly, "Let's get him out of there then," before ordering her men to assist with clearing away the remaining rubble.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Good gravy I did not mean for it to take so long for me to start updating again. First I was hammering out some future events I want to get to, which wasn't so bad but then I came down with an extremely bad cold, threw my lower back out twice thanks to a nasty computer chair which has now been replaced and July was extremely busy as I had several out of town visitors and it was my birthday. :D Thank you everyone for being patient with me. I have up to chapter 12 plotted out now and I have to say, this story is winding up being A LOT longer then I originally thought. XD I kinda figured I'd be done by like, chapter 5? Whoops.


	9. Chapter 9

Digging Red out was slow going even with the help of the small guard squadron. Care had to be taken that the rocks didn't fall or rebury Red completely. Red spent the time observing his surroundings and taking everything in.

 

His sharpest memories at the moment were before the rock fall. When someone had been talking to him. When they'd stepped out from cover Red had sworn it was Gaster. Likely, he realized now it had probably been the heavy shadows of Waterfall and the dregs of whatever the fuck Gaster had injected him with during their fight.

 

That fight and the argument that led up to it, he realized, must have been at least a week ago if the guard Captain's comment about Undyne's lab accident lie was correct. A week... what had he been doing for a week?

 

Waking up in a different universe wasn't that surprising. Gaster, upon agreeing to help Red, had shown him around the lab and the mad genius hadn't been able to resist bragging about his projects.

 

_"What is it exactly?" Sans had reached out to poke at the shimmering surface siting between the machine's sleek entrance._

 

_Gaster had grabbed his hand, "I wouldn't, it's possible you could lose some fingers. I haven't tried sending anything more then a few observation probes through it. Are you familiar with the multiverse theory?"_

 

_"Yeah, I read about it in some really old texts some crazy bat was selling for like 50,000G a piece."_

 

_"I doubt you paid for them of course."_

 

_Sans bit back a growl, 'Smug bastard', though he wasn't incorrect. He'd been so pissed at the bitches snotty tone he'd nicked it into his coat when she'd been bargaining another monster._

 

_"Essentially," Gaster had smirked, "It's the first successful window into another universe. The probes have brought back a wealth of information. Some of it quite useful, such as the other versions of ourselves, though some of what they brought back is useless... it's amusing at least. This Underground, is much more peaceful. Sadly what I was really hoping for was a universe with no barrier but they're as trapped as we are."_

 

_"Soooo why keep it open?"_

 

_"As I said, not everything there has been useless to me. In fact I believe it may even be what I need to assist you." Gaster had smirked before moving on further into the lab._

 

At the time Red remembered how much that cryptic answer had sent a shudder up his spine. But by then the deal had already been struck and he was doubtful Gaster would've been forgiving if he'd backed out of it. Even as time went on and the experiments had become more and more invasive he'd been convinced there was no escape.

 

He felt foolish. Maybe if he'd broken down, gotten the fuck over himself and just _**talked**_ to Papyrus, _'He'd probably have ended up dusted.'_ Red thought bitterly.

 

It was strange, he felt like what happened during the experiments was some kind of lucid dream. It was hazy around the edges, like it hadn't really been him undergoing those procedures. A side effect perhaps? Clearly Gaster had been trying to effect his mind. Red could remember the lies now; could see them for what they were. Gaster had been attempting to cover over the holes that had started popping up in his memory; filling them in with whatever lie suited him that day.

 

Red had been suspicious; even as he'd accepted what Gaster had told him. That was why, he remembered, he had smuggled that sample out of the lab one morning. That was why he'd started keeping a private log with all his observations of the experiments effects on him.

 

And that was why he'd started testing the substance himself in that makeshift shed he'd often used for smuggled lab equipment when he was younger.

 

Unfortunately all of that had come too late. Red had been writing his increasingly concerning observations when the bout of pain had struck.

 

_Sans doubled over, the first shock wave making him snap his pen in half as his soul began to sear like it was on fire and his bones felt like they were being shattered from the inside. He'd barely managed to stand before another wave sent him crashing to the tiled floor._

 

_He felt sick, putrid magic rising in the back of his mouth, he'd forced himself to swallow it, coughing at the agonizing taste as his non existent stomach lurched. He'd just managed to keep himself from throwing up when the first crack had appeared in his arms._

 

_"Wh-wha-" Another spasm choked him as the ends of his fingers started breaking into pieces, panic gripped San's soul like a vice as he watched in morbid fascination. But instead of turning to dust his finger bones seemed to be elongating, rebuilding into sharp claws._

 

_Another wave sent shocks along his legs and spine. "Wh-what the f-fuck di-did he do?" Sans had ground out, his mind drowning in pain and fear. Gaster had done this if anyone could stop it he could._

 

Sadly that hadn't been the case. Oh at the time Gaster had acted concerned, even contrite that his experiments had caused such a horrendous side effect.

 

_"H-help-" Sans had managed between pained pants. The teleport to the lab had strained the limits of his remaining concentration. He'd thrown up practically at Gaster's feet as he'd lost control of his magic. His voice was already more of a rasping snarl then words, "G-gassssterrrr!"_

 

Red didn't remember much after that, he'd blacked out, thankfully and woken up like was currently. A four legged animal monster unable to speak. His horrified expression had probably been Gaster's only sign that his assistant was still sentient. There had been a flash of almost disappointment on Gaster's face that Red had thought was his imagination.

 

But after a month of isolated experiments with Red unable to leave the lab and a very long and unsettling black out he had managed to discover the truth.

 

_"I knew you were lying!" Sans snarled. Maintaining his original form was taxing and this was the longest he'd managed it so far, eight hours total. He was reaching the edge of his newly increased stamina but it was worth it for this._

 

_He'd thrown the papers in front of Gaster. Scattering them across the desk. Sans had expected Gaster to explode but instead he only looked mildly perturbed._

 

_"I did not lie," Gaster sighed, "I gave you what you wanted, increased durability, stamina, wiping away all those fragile weaknesses."_

 

_"You've been trying to erase my fucking mind!"_

 

_Gaster had smirked, cold and calculating, "My dear boy I never said ' **you** ' would remain intact. Don't you recall? I mentioned there might be....unpleasant side effects."_

 

_"Side effects my ass!" Sans had snarled, throwing a wave of bones at him._

 

He'd been foolish to confront Gaster, but he'd just been so angry. He should've just tried to escape, maybe even teleport but he'd been so exhausted. Gaster had managed to inject his neck with something during one of his attacks and after that things were....muddy.

 

Red remembered breaking away from the attack and the pain of the needle sliding between his vertebrae. He'd been overcome with panic as whatever Gaster had done seemed to burn him from the inside out, his bones had begun to snap and break as he lost control.

 

He remembered running, falling to all fours and scrabbling away in blind panic or maybe it hadn't been so blind? He'd obviously run straight into the portal and right into another universe. But why hadn't Gaster followed?

 

He'd spent all this time experimenting on Red and Gaster wasn't the type of scientist to just let something like that go. _'Machine must've been damaged during the fight,'_ It was the only possibility that made sense, _'Damn that's a fucking stroke of luck.'_

 

Of course it left Red with a very big problem he realized as he stared at what had to be this universe's version of himself. _'Gaster can't get_ _ **here**_ _but how the hell do_ _ **I**_ _get back. Fuck! Papyrus has to be worried sick!'_ At least Red wanted to believe Papyrus would be; he pushed down the niggling sense of doubt.

 

A light touch on his foreleg pulled him from his thoughts, "Are you doing okay Red?"

 

_'Damn this guy is soft hearted.'_ He could vaguely remember throwing this dressed in blue Sans over a waterfall. Yet here he was, eyes full of concern, _'You're too damned trusting.'_ He wished he could talk, tell this Sans not to worry about him, brush it off with a bad pun and his usual nervous bravado.

 

Sadly language was currently beyond him so he just gave a short nod.

 

The pressure on his spine suddenly abated, the guards having decided to clear the debris from the other side of the boulder. Red had to count himself lucky, an inch closer and the rock would've snapped his back in half. He got up stiffly, battered and bruised, and was amused at first when the guards practically fell over themselves to move away from him.

 

_'Damn I'm not even that fucking big...'_ He wouldn't even call himself scary really, although... looking at the damage to the cavern and this Captain Alphys having mentioned damaging a building, something he didn't remember at all, maybe they had good reason to be.

 

Red sighed, _'Looks like I got what I wanted.'_ So why then, he wondered, did it feel so **hollow**. He'd wanted other monsters to take him seriously, to be afraid of him, but seeing it didn't give him the rush of adrenaline he thought it would.

 

The brief amusement he'd felt condensed into something bitter, like the sick tasting magic at the back of his mouth.

 

The Sans in blue, _'Heh think I'll just call you Blue since you named me Red.'_ kneeled down in front of him, hands pulsing with green magic. Red's sockets closed, letting Blue work on the scrapes, bruises and lacerations he'd obtained from being buried.

 

Realization hit him that he was completely bare boned. He remembered that his jacket had been left behind when he'd teleported to the lab originally, but a month later he'd still worn clothes in his normal form when he could hold it and he'd had clothes on during the fight with Gaster.

 

_'Must've shredded or lost most of it over the course of the week...'_ Which would make sense. He hadn't ever worn shoes since his first transformation. Because although shorts and shirts might make it through a shift with little more then a tear or two any shoes would always be destroyed from the changes in his feet.

 

The loss of his jacket was one thing, and something he'd reluctantly gotten over in the intervening month, but the loss of his collar really bothered him. He resisted the urge to paw nervously at his neck. It wasn't a sign of ownership, most would've thought that, but a sign of loyalty and protection.

 

It said to Underfell that if you messed with Red you'd have to deal with Papyrus.

 

Sadly in recent years that had become a false comfort as the dogs of Snowdin chaffed under his brothers leadership and the best way to get to Papyrus? To prove he was an unworthy guardsman? Well that was to get to anyone under his direct protection.

 

Maybe it was better he was here; out of the way. Papyrus would surely go on without him; would probably even be stronger for it...

 

"There," Blue chirped, pulling Red from the sludge of his thoughts, "it's not much but at least you'll be more comfortable until Undyne can get you to the lab."

 

Right, this worlds Undyne. Red warily eyed the scientist, who stood talking with Alphys, and was no doubt trying to keep up the already failed lie, _'Seriously I know when someone isn't buying it lady, you're wasting your time. Heh, Probably the only reason she's not tossing me in a kennel or dusting my ass is because she likes you.'_ He filed away that observation for later use.

 

Still it was weird to think that this was Guard Captain Undyne's counterpart for this world. Aside from their roles being different, this worlds' Undyne seemed almost timid in her interactions with Alphys and the rest of the guards. Though she had been pretty commanding when she'd told he and Blue to play along with her lie.

 

_'Too bad she's a shitty actor.'_ Then again his Undyne wasn't a good liar either, just brutal when it came to enforcing what she said.

 

He watched Captain Alphys nod as she seemed to come to some kind of consensus with Undyne before she walked over to Red and Blue. "I and my troop will escort you back to the lab, after that I will leave guards posted outside who will perform regular checks. If _anything_ happens, if he," Alphys pointed a claw at Red, her fingers practically crackling with magic, "steps one claw out of line he will be taken into custody immediately, is that clear?"

 

Saluting Blue gave a sharp, "Yes Ma'am."

 

"Good, now let's go." Alphys barked her commands to the small troop of guards. They formed around Red, Blue and Undyne to begin the march back to Hotland.

 

Being surrounded made Red uncomfortable, if his magic wasn't so exhausted he might've considered a teleport but that was risky with an unfamiliar universe. The terrain here, as he walked, was familiar but also alien. He noted several tunnels in this version of Waterfall as they walked that simply didn't exist, or were caved in, where he was from. His sparse memories of his first meeting with Blue and his panicked teleportation at the time had him counting his lucky stars.

 

_'Could've shoved my ass through a wall.'_ He shuddered, that would not have been a pleasant end.

 

"You okay?"

 

He looked up at Blue, seeing the worry so easily worn on a face so similar to his own was disturbing. Red wondered if he had ever looked like that without being aware of it. Maybe when he and Papyrus were kids, back then he had worried about Papyrus constantly, but it had been a long time since then.

 

Red simply nodded, giving what he hoped would sound like an affirmative noise before going back to looking at the scenery.

 

His mind was wandering. The more recent events of the last week, especially the last few hours, were muddled and fuzzy but decipherable. Shortly after Gaster had stabbed him and he'd run was a complete blank.

 

But between the nothingness and the last few hours were some extremely hazy images that were more blobs of color then anything else. And yet...

 

_Eerily familiar flaring red, magic? A tall imposing black shadow, and the stale smell of old cigarettes overlayed with the scent of oiled leather._

 

Something about that memory made him uncomfortable. It was something important. Something he needed to remember. It felt like it was on the tip of his tongue.

 

_'Ugh, I'm better at puns not puzzles.'_

 

He heard the sound of a phone being dialed, and his attention focused to Captain Alphys. She was leading their little march but he could feel the increasing concern coming off of her as she dialed a phone number again for what he guessed was the third time.

 

"Is something wrong Captain?"

 

Blue had noticed it too.

 

"I've dialed the detention center at New Home and they aren't picking up."

 

"Should I go check it out ma'am?"

 

Red knew that tone, it was the same eagerness Papyrus had often showed to Undyne while he was still a cadet. The thought of him leaving though made Red uncomfortable. This universes Undyne was nothing like his but still... He eyed Undyne carefully, she seemed nervous, her face flushed. Was that because of the lie or her really obvious crush on Captain Alphys? Red wasn't sure.

 

However he also hadn't missed the curious and over eager glances she was shooting him on occasion. _'Are all scientists like that?'_

 

He had a feeling she knew more about his origins then she was currently letting on to Blue or Alphys. Though maybe it was more that there had been no time for her to go into details then that she was hiding something. He wasn't sure if he was looking forward to their inevitable conversation, or dreading it.

 

"No," Alphys said, shaking her head, "I want you to stay with Undyne and Red since you seem acquainted with him."

 

There was a flash of excitement in Blue's sockets before he smothered it, _'Heh,'_ Red thought, _'Don't be too excited, she's probably leaving you with the bulk of the troop as a matter of safety.'_

 

Ironically he wondered if Blue came to the same conclusion shortly thereafter when Alphys ordered three guards to return to New Home while they continued onward and Blue's expression fell momentarily into a pinched bitterness.

 

_'That's an expression I'm familiar with.'_ Red sighed, but couldn't deny that he felt slightly relieved not being left alone with this scientist Undyne. He felt a lot less nervous with Blue around. The guy was far too open to be hiding anything and had already stood up for him despite Red throwing him over a Waterfall.

 

As the lab came into sight Red repressed a shudder. At a glance the place looked far too much like Gaster's lab back home for his liking. But on closer inspection it was missing the magical defenses, meant to maim, not kill, Gaster liked making any would be assassins or thieves into test subjects. And living specimens were far more useful.

 

The shadowy stalactites and stalagmites set in an orange cast from a nearby magma pool might be hiding nasty surprises of course. Feeling eyes on him Red looked over to see Undyne staring at him, before she looked away.

 

He broke out into a sweat, maybe this wasn't the best idea. His magic was still drained but if it was necessary he could force a teleport. It was risky with his magic so low and especially since he didn't consciously remember a lot of where he'd been for the last week in this universe. Still he kept that option on the table as they stopped outside the lab.

 

"I'm coming in with you." Alphys said, shooting Red a rather pointed look.

 

"A-Alphys," Undyne's voice shook, "Th-that's not necessary."

 

"I think it is." She was still staring at Red. He rolled his eye lights.

 

"Captain, I can handle it!" Blue said, stepping in front of Alphys and breaking her eye contact with Red, "This is a medical procedure so Red would probably appreciate some privacy."

 

Alphys sighed, turning away she brought a claw to her chin in consideration. "He has been on fairly good behavior.... so far."

 

"Right," Blue said, nodding excitedly, "And you probably want to check on the situation at New Home, right?"

 

_'He's got her there'_ , Red thought with a chuckle, maybe the blueberry was more cunning then he looked. Alphys had clearly been concerned this whole trek since her phone calls had gone unanswered. Having sent three guards Red had no doubts that she was taking the situation very seriously and that something had her on edge.

 

He could see the crumbling resolve in her eyes, "Fine. You lot," She gestured to the remaining five guards, "You stay out here and perform alternating patrols of the perimeter. Make sure no one comes in or out until Undyne gets the situation in hand with her _patient_. Sans," Alphys looked at Blue. She paused clearly struggling with some internal decision, "You will stay with Undyne and Red for the time being. But any, and I mean _any_ hostile action on Red's part and you are to detain him immediately. You and Undyne's safety comes first so if you have to injure him I need to be confident you won't hold back."

 

Blue lifted his chin, meeting her gaze defiantly, "Yes Ma'am. I am fully capable of defending us if it comes to that. And you know I wouldn't hold back if our lives depended on it."

 

"I know," Alphys said sadly before she left.

 

_'What the hell was that about?'_ Red wondered as they entered the lab.

 

With the lab door bolted and secured behind them Blue let out the tension in his shoulders, before releasing a frustrated growl, "She still doesn't trust me."

 

"Sans I'm sure that's not it," Undyne rested a hand on his shoulder, "Alphys is just...um..."

 

"Being overprotective? Letting my brother dictate the terms of my training?"

 

"Oh...You know about that."

 

Blue stared at her incredulously, "You knew?!"

 

"Papyrus mentioned it in passing, I told him it was bullshit."

 

"Language."

 

"Really Sans?" Undyne scoffed, "This isn't even your house."

 

"It doesn't mean you shouldn't be polite. Red is a guest in your lab after all."

 

_'Oh damn is this guy in for a surprise when I can change back.'_ Red suppressed a snort, but sobered, _'If I can change back.'_ Whatever Gaster had done to him that last time...what if it was permanent?

 

 

".....Red?"

 

Red was pulled from his thoughts, staring at Undyne and Blue who were across the main lab by now and about to enter another room. He shook himself off and followed, nervously watching Undyne as she opened the door in front of them.

 

She paused, clearly holding the door open so he could enter. He tried to go in, he even lifted one paw forward, but the thought of going in first, of being ahead of them stopped him. What if they locked him in here? What if there were dampeners in here and he couldn't teleport?

 

Noticing his hesitation Blue entered first, sitting on a stool near the low cot on the other side of the room. "It's okay Red."

 

Keeping an eye light on Undyne, Red cautiously followed. He easily made the short jump up onto the cot. He expected this Undyne to close the door but instead she pushed a door stop under it, propping it open. He wasn't sure if that made him feel better or more exposed.

 

"Okay," Undyne sighed, pulling out a diagnostic scanner for reading magic levels, Gaster had used a similar device. She hummed softly, a confused huh escaping her.

 

"What is it?" Blue asked.

 

"Just that this reading is really different then the one I used to find Red in the first place. A few hours ago it was off the charts but now it's more like where Papy-" She looked at Red, "Where Stretch's was at."

 

"Speaking of, where is Papyrus? You told Alphys he was waiting here."

 

_'This worlds Papyrus?'_ A vague memory curled into Red's mind of someone in orange, a voice at once familiar and alien. Not rough and sharp like his brothers. More tense and nervous. Qualities he was used to assigning to himself, not Papyrus.

 

But then again it made sense didn't it? This worlds 'Sans' had his brothers aspiration to be in the royal guard, even if he had a far more positive outlook on life then his own Papyrus had ever possessed. Was it so hard to imagine then that this worlds 'Papyrus' would be nervous, tense, maybe even withdrawn? _'Gaster was right. This place is odd.'_

 

"If he knows what's good for him," Undyne growled, "He's in the back sleeping. Speaking of-" She said, pulling out a bottle of pills, she carefully tapped two into her hand, "That should work."

 

She was sweating nervously as she approached Red. He immediately tensed, "I know you don't trust me right now," The fingers of her free hand began to fret at the edges of her coat sleeve, "But this is the same medication I gave Papy- My world's Papyrus." She ignored Blue's questioning look, "All it does is stabilize your magic levels so you can change back. That's it. It will make you sleepy though and I can't guarantee how long the effects will last since what caused his condition might be different then what caused yours."

 

Red stared hard at her face, then at the pills, he was going to refuse, going to just turn away. Eventually his levels would stabilize on their own...maybe...hopefully...

 

_< I'd take them if I were you.>_ Came a drowsy grumble from the doorway. Red's head shot up, staring at the longer leaner creature that resembled his own mutation. His jaw parted slightly, eye lights shrinking to pin points.

 

_< Who->_

 

The other creature limped forward and Red could see Blue was nearly vibrating but with anger or concern he couldn't tell.

 

"You setting him straight Stretch?" Undyne chuckled.

 

'Stretch', Red gathered was this 'Papyrus's' nickname, fitting enough given his long frame.

 

_< They'll just make you sleepy, I'd take them to show you,>_ He yawned, _< But I already had three and I'm fighting not to just pass out here.>_ With that Stretch climbed onto a second cot that was closest to the door and promptly curled up.

 

Within seconds his rib cage underneath the battered obnoxious orange hoodie was rising and falling in a slow and steady rhythm.

 

"So?" Undyne prompted, holding her hand out again with the pills. Carefully, trembling slightly as his instincts screamed that this could be a trap, Red swallowed each pill. He pulled back, pushing his body into the corner.

 

Undyne released the breath she'd been holding. "Okay, Sans and I are going to go back out into the main lab, we'll leave the door open okay?"

 

Red nodded, watching them go. He could already feel the medication being absorbed into his magic, and the unsteady rhythm of his soul was already slowing as drowsiness began to set in. Maybe it was more then just the medication though.

 

Stars knew what the hell he'd actually been through this last week because he could barely remember any of it.

 

**

 

Undyne practically fell into her computer chair, leaning back heavily as Sans dropped onto a couch she had long ago pushed against the far wall in case of visitors. Though judging by the faint smell of old cigarette smoke he guessed Papyrus probably took naps on it most of the time when he visited.

 

"That could've gone better." Undyne sighed, her eyes were heavy with exhaustion.

 

"You should get some rest." Sans said, pulling himself back up with a stretch, "I can keep watch."

 

Rubbing her eyes Undyne muttered, "I'd rather start analyzing what little data I have on Red."

 

"Undyne! You're not going to help him if you're exhausted! You're as bad as Papyrus!"

 

"What about you?" She countered, easily guessing that Blue had been awake for almost twenty four hours.

 

Sans chuckled, "I sleep regularly unlike you two. A missed night won't hurt me much."

 

Undyne nodded and reluctantly pulled herself from her chair, "Fine but let me know if Red gets up okay?"

 

"Roger, I pro-" Sans phone rang loudly from his pocket cutting him off. He clicked to accept the call when he saw it was from Alphys, "Yes ma'am!" Undyne paused, listening in.

 

"Sans tell Undyne to make sure the lab is locked down." There was a tight and controlled calm to her voice, something he rarely ever heard unless it was an emergency. Instantly wary, Sans said, "What is it Captain?"

 

"It's the prisoner, he's escaped."

 


	10. Chapter 10

Alphys sighed as she ended her call with Sans. She glanced at the clock, the display reading two AM and deflated in her desk chair. They hadn't even managed to keep Fell detained for a full twenty four hours. "Has to be some kind of record," She growled.

 

Expecting the worst Alphys had rounded up a few guards from their late night posts on the way back to New Home from Hotland, but when they'd arrived she'd been surprised. The building had looked as unsuspecting as ever. Just the usual squat structure surrounded by a high wall on the outskirts of New Home.

 

The guards she had previously dispatched had met them and briefed her on their captives escape. Structurally there was no damage and no signs of any major struggle, which was a surprise, Fell had recovered his supplies and equipment, no surprise there, but there were no casualties.

 

That last one had shocked Alphys. Fell had been nothing but hostile from the moment he'd been taken into custody and had made no secret that if he hadn't been injured or behind dampeners, he would've killed them all.

 

And yet here he'd had the perfect opportunity, but the results?

 

Three unconscious guards, one with a bruised windpipe, another with a concussion and a third with bruises and scrapes from being manhandled as Fell forced him to unlock the storage area with his belongings. All three had been out cold when the guards she'd originally sent had arrived.

 

That was it.

 

The bastard had even locked the front door on the way out like a proper house guest.

 

It just didn't make sense, why spare the guards when he'd clearly gotten the drop on them? "I underestimated him." Alphys knew from the report that when he'd been detained that Fell was clearly after Undyne's current patient, this 'Red'. He'd been fighting with him and had clearly attempted to chase after him, even though he'd been injured.

 

Whatever the connection there, Alphys didn't doubt for a second that Fell would be attempting to find Red's location. Although the cell guard wasn't able to speak at present he'd written an account of the escape and so Alphys had a pretty good idea that Fell had picked up they were going to find Red in Waterfall.

 

She also knew Undyne wasn't being entirely up front about 'Red' either, even if she didn't know why. With a growl Alphys pushed herself away from her desk. At this point it was a waiting game and it was now Fell's move. He was out there, and her night shift guards were already searching from New Home to Waterfall, with orders to then fan out into groups of four.

 

People were being questioned and Red was locked up in Undyne's lab with guard patrols and Sans, though his brother would've had a shit fit if he knew. Sans was capable of the assignment, of that Alphys had no doubt, though he'd always be kind and forgiving she knew he'd protect Undyne.

 

It wasn't Sans she was worried about. It was his brother making trouble for him because she had gone back on their agreement. Not that Papyrus could do much but he might try to force Sans to quit which, would cause a lot of tension in one of her brightest cadets. She sighed, she shouldn't have gotten involved with Papyrus' protectiveness in the first place.

 

"Should've told him no flat out."

 

She almost had, but if she was honest it wasn't like she didn't have worries about the kindness being stamped out of Sans, or worse as well. After all being a guard was more then just showy heroics or magical and physical strength. "You know he knows that." Alphys scolded herself, Sans wasn't a child.

 

She could've always dismissed Sans due to her concerns. Except she didn't want to do that either. She found his positive nature, refreshing, honestly. And he had so much potential and raw power. She hadn't wanted to let that go. So she'd made that stupid deal, let Papyrus dictate all those terms out of fear that he'd manage to get Sans to quit if she didn't and figured eventually he'd back off. Unfortunately he hadn't and had only seemed to get worse over the months.

 

Shaking her head, Alphys moved to her cot in the back room. She needed to clear her mind and rest, even if sleep would be hard to come by.

 

***

 

Putting the lab on lock down was fairly simple. The guards out front had already received a call from Alphys regarding the situation, so it was only a matter of Undyne discussing with them how the security doors worked and then activating them.

 

Sans would've felt better if she'd had some traps as well, but the lab was built for keeping things in not keeping them out. How had he never noticed that before? He was running a hand over the thick closed door as, exhausted, Undyne had begun to head back inside.

 

"How did it happen?"

 

His question brought Undyne up short, "How did what happen?"

 

"Papyrus, how did... how did he..."

 

Undyne sighed, "I-it's really not my story to tell."

 

"It wasn't like he was ever planning on telling me to begin with." Sans frowned, pushing away from the door. Maybe he was being childish. He was tired, it was late after all and topping it all off he hadn't eaten in hours. His soul growled.

 

"All I have is cup noodles on hand but you're welcome to it."

 

As Sans made to walk past her Undyne reached out, her hand closing around his elbow, "And look, maybe he didn't intend for you to find out, but I know you Sans. You're not gonna let him off the hook without some answers now. You have every right to be pissed at him for this and for his little deal with Alphys."

 

It felt a little better, hearing someone else say it. He sighed, "Sometimes...I worry I'm overreacting."

 

"No," Undyne shook her head and ushered Sans back to the main lab room, "Your brother is a hard headed numbskull who's terrified of losing his only family. Sometimes I think he doesn't realize he's just pushing you away faster."

 

"You're his best friend," Sans said, "Do you know why he's so.... overprotective?"

 

The expression on Undyne's face became momentarily unreadable as she began to rummage in her cupboards for a cup noodle. She paused, frowning, "I-I think it's because you're his only family... left? Huh," She chewed her lip as she put the electric kettle on, "I feel like I should know more about it, like it's on the tip of my tongue but.... I-I really can't remember why I feel that way."

 

"It's just been Papyrus and me as long as I can remember," Sans said, "I mean... I know we had... babysitters, I think? ...While Papyrus worked at the labs with you." Sans stared at the kettle, an old memory creeping to the surface, "Speaking of that. When I was little there was a month where Papyrus never came home, was that when this...happened?"

 

"Yeah," Undyne said, as she pulled up her camera systems, setting them up for Sans to use while she slept, "That was when the accident happened."

 

***

 

Reclining on a old wooden crate, Fell took stock of his situation. He was glad the guards had caught him on the street the other night after his confrontation with the experiment; since it meant they had no information on this bolt hole he'd hunkered down in. He'd been using this place to rest when he wasn't hunting his quarry over the last week.

 

As it was the middle of the night it was far too quiet in the capital for him to move around undetected. Fortunately, he looked down at the tracker in his hand, his quarry hadn't appeared to have moved from it's location in some time.

 

The detachment of guards that had left the detention center had been intending to meet up with Captain Alphys on the way to Waterfall, where, according to the guards conversation, the experiment had been spotted. Fell had tried to tail them at first but since he'd had to keep a distance and occasionally use side tunnels to avoid being spotted he'd gotten turned around.

 

He'd roamed New Home for a week but hadn't done any exploring outside of it in that time. He'd had no idea how different the tunnels through Hotland were here. He'd been moving down a tunnel that, in his own universe, would've allowed him to pace the guards but he'd run straight into an old, uncleared cave in.

 

Cursing Fell had backtracked to where he'd first split from the detachment to avoid being noticed but because that tunnel in this universe received heavy foot traffic, and now he understood why, the dirt had been far too packed to read a decent trail.

 

He'd lost them.

 

The tracker, for all the good it was, gave direction not location in a 3d space. It wasn't a map of the Underground and even if it had been it might not've done him any good. At that point he had a choice, keep wandering around blindly or return to his bolt hole in New Home.

 

He'd looked around at the maze of eerily similar tunnels; how many more led to dead ends? He could follow this main road to at least get to Waterfall but then he'd have the same issue, and with the added bonus of a guard troop that would be heading back to New Home at some point. It was then Fell realized he was acting rashly and foolish.

 

What was he planning to do? Ambush eight guards and Captain Alphys all while trying not to get killed by the experiment as it probably attacked him again? He wouldn't survive those odds.

 

_'Though it's unlikely the guards themselves would kill me.'_

 

As sickening as it was Fell realized that if Alphys decided to destroy the experiment on sight there was literally nothing he could currently do to stop it. If he even found them in time, unlikely at this point even with a tracker.

 

Fell had put the tracker away and headed back toward New Home. He needed to play this smart. If Alphys didn't destroy the experiment then she would obviously take it somewhere it could be detained. If this had been his universe that would've likely been Gaster's lab where the scientist could pull apart the aberration to his contentment.

 

But since this was Underswap it was more likely, Fell had reasoned, that Alphys would return the experiment to the detention center with it's dampeners. So he'd headed back to New Home and his bolt hole to wait.

 

Once he'd gotten there Fell had pulled out the tracker, staring at the blipping dot on the screen. For a long time nothing happened at all, but then it slowly began to move. He had grinned in triumph, if Alphys had dusted the experiment the tracker would've been stationary, lost in the creatures dusty remains.

 

But then after what seemed a slow crawling eternity the dot stopped a fair distance from the trackers central nub and just...stayed there. _'Dammit,'_ Fell bit at his glove in frustration, _'She must've taken it to a facility outside of New Home, fuck!'_

 

He leaned back, his skull banging on the thick stone wall that made up his hiding place. The experiment was most likely alive, at least he was pretty sure it was. Fell sighed, putting away the tracker for the moment. By now word of his escape had probably reached the other guards in the city. He'd have to wait till morning to move so he could blend in with the crowds.  _'You better not be dust by the time I get back Sans or so help me....'_ Fell shut his sockets, suppressing the fear clawing at his soul,  _'He will be alive and then he's going to wish he was dead by the time I'm through with him.'_

 

***

 

Sans flicked through Undyne's camera feeds for what must've been the dozenth time in only a few minutes. Several hours of routine quiet had passed already, with no sign of any movement other then the guard patrols around the labs perimeter.

 

He'd watched them do several circuits and alternate breaks, one even catching a little sleep curled against the labs sealed door. He envied them as he sipped a cup of coffee. Not his preferred drink of choice and Undyne's was horribly bitter to boot.

 

_'She probably doesn't clean the pot out enough.'_

 

Really he should be grateful for the quiet after the stress and insanity of the last twenty four hours. He didn't need to add 'repelling an escaped prisoner' to his list of events, but instead he found that the inaction just gave him too much time to think.

 

He was still furious at Papyrus. First for ditching him in Hotland, then for treating him like a child outside their house; going off alone to face Red, and hiding from Sans his condition for the last several years to top it off. The reminder of Alphys being forced by her agreement with him to treat Sans with 'kid' gloves hadn't helped his anger and frustration levels either.

 

Sans had been aware that his brother was overprotective, sure, but he'd always believed that in a pinch Papyrus would trust him. To his horror though, in an actual crisis like this, Papyrus had tightened his grip even more, shutting Sans out completely. To know his brother must think so little of him had Sans flipping between anger and dejection.

 

If he possessed less confidence in his abilities or had Undyne only reaffirmed Papyrus's position Sans knew he could've spiraled down completely, but she hadn't. And Alphys too, the way she had left, the look on her face.

 

His Captain did believe in him, even if his brother did not.

 

He'd been going about everything all wrong. He didn't need to prove himself to Alphys and he especially didn't need to cater to Papyrus. He needed to move beyond that, whether Papyrus liked it or not.

 

_'Peacefully,'_ Sans nodded, reminding himself of his earlier thoughts on his way home after they'd fought, _'.....right after I deck him for being such an idiot.'_

 

"Anything?" Undyne yawned, descending the stairs from her sleeping area and tugging on a fresh lab coat.

 

Sans shook his head, "No, you don't have to get up."

 

She waved him off, "This is my normal amount of sleep," and poured herself a cup of lukewarm coffee from the pot; she sipped it, her face wrinkling in disgust, "You....do not make good coffee."

 

Huffing Sans flipped through the cameras again, "It's your pot."

 

"It is _not_ my pot," Undyne grumbled, knocking back the rest of her cup in a series of gulps, "My coffee tastes fine when I make it."

 

"You're biased."

 

"Whatever runt." Undyne pulled out several tools, "Did you take a look at Papyrus's leg?"

 

"Yes, after I ate." Sans stretched, leaning back in the computer chair, "Neither of them woke up while I was healing him, is that normal?"

 

"For Stretch," Undyne nodded, placing tweezers, magnifying glasses and sample extractors on a rolling metal tray, "I'm not sure about Red though. The basic readings I got off him yesterday were similar but there were differences. It could be due to his innate magic, whatever accident created him or..."

 

"The world he comes from." Sans said as Undyne trailed off.

 

She stood staring at him, slightly stunned.

 

"You said _'My world's Papyrus'_ last night, and Papyrus used to go on and on at the dinner table about multiverse theory when he worked at the labs. I don't understand how it all works, or can co-exist but it's not like I don't listen."

 

"Heh, I shouldn't underestimate you. C'mon let's go check on our patients and see if they're up."

 

Papyrus was still out when they entered the open door, Undyne noting his leg was bandaged, not just healed so the bones must still be fragile, probably requiring more then one round of healing magic. Red, however, was awake, though clearly groggy. He yawned, stretching slightly. He looked relaxed until his sockets landed on the tray Undyne was wheeling in.

 

Sans immediately mitigated, "She won't hurt you, I promise. It's just like any doctors visit." Red shot him a look.

 

"S-somehow I don't think _'doctors'_ are a good thing where he's from," Undyne sighed, she turned to the tray hoping an explanation might assist, "If you'll notice, our friend here," She gestured to Papyrus, "Is still asleep, n-now," She coughed to push the touch of nerves from her voice, "I d-did give him a higher dose of medication then you but I need to check your levels," Undyne pointed to the scanner on the tray, "To see if that's the only reason, and if not, "She pointed to the tweezers and other items, "I need to take s-samples to make something tailored to you."

 

"See Red," Sans smiled, "Door will be open and I can stay here if you want."

 

Red seemed to consider it, looking between the two of them and the door. He seemed to deflate, maybe he felt like he had no choice in the matter.

 

"I-If you really don't want me to examine you Red," Undyne said, "I-I don't have to."

 

"Could you make a medication without doing so?" Sans asked.

 

"M-might take longer but it's possible."

 

They watched as Red seemed to think that over a moment. He sighed, shutting his sockets before motioning with his tail for them to come closer. Sans settled into a far stool out of the way while Undyne began to work.

 

She began with the scanner, running it close to Red's bones, the device beeping softly before it put out a series of numbers on its small screen. "Huh, that's weird. There's a sort of static like signal this close, it's not magical in nature either. Otherwise while the readings look better, the medicine is definitely not having as much of an effect as I'd hoped."

 

Red tilted his head in curiosity, he scooted closer on the cot trying to read the scanners output. "Here," Undyne said, turning it to face him, "Does it mean anything to you?"

 

Red at first began to shake his head, but stopped, his sockets widening. A sort of recognition falling over him, he started to growl and grumble as if trying to say something. Frustrated he looked around.

 

"Easy, calm down!" Undyne said, jumping back slightly, "Do you know Morse code?"

 

Red shook his head.

 

"Shit, okay how about tap your tail on the cot once for yes and twice for no okay?" Red nodded, tapping his tail on the cot to confirm his understanding.

 

"Is it the scanners magic readings?"

 

Tap Tap.

 

"Okay then the static signal the scanners picking up?"

 

Red gave an enthusiastic slap of his tail on the cot.

 

"You recognize it?"

 

Tap.

 

"....shit I can't think of a way to ask what it is in yes or no."

 

"Is it dangerous?" Sans interjected.

 

Red gave a hesitant Tap Tap.

 

Sans sighed, "I'll take that as not exactly."

 

Seeming to grow more agitated by the second Red got on the floor, at first neither Undyne nor Sans knew what he was doing until they heard the first snaps and cracks of bone.

 

"Hey! Don't do that you're injuries are still pretty freshly healed!" Undyne said, "Red stop!"

 

Sans couldn't help but stare in fascination, seeing the changes in the light of the lab. Red had barely managed to reduce his jaws to a more flexible smaller state when his bones began to shake with strain. The changes slowing down to a crawl and then beginning to reverse as Red was unable to force it to continue or hold it.

 

The pain must have been excruciating, because Red's eye lights were already fizzling out, he opened his shortened mouth growling out, "T-T-Tr-a-Trac-k D-de-viiiii-csssse," Before collapsing in an unconscious heap on the tiles, his form reverting completely to its four legged state.

 

Undyne's eyes widened behind her glasses, "Get him back on the cot," She ordered. She grabbed a magnifying glass off the metal tray and began to fiddle with the scanner settings, dialing up one of the knobs to full.

 

Sans did as he was ordered, knowing better then to ask questions when that tone of voice was involved. Once settled Undyne quickly got to work slowly scanning over each of Red's bones. She stopped when she reached his skull, the tracker pinging loudly. She stared, "Crap...."

 

"What is it?"

 

"I think it's in his skull, specifically his eye socket."

 

Sans shuddered as Undyne pulled the magnifying glass closer, gently pushing Red's eye socket lid up, "Now I'm glad he passed out." She said.

 

***

 

Fell's dozing was disturbed by the soft whine of the tracker next to him. The display had changed from the flashing red dot with a marked average distance from the device and direction to a dark green message.

 

**'Signal lost.'**

 

"Damn it all." He hissed.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> XD I'm sorry Fell. I almost feel bad throwing monkey wrenches at you! ....almost.


	11. Chapter 11

In reality, despite what Sans and most of the Underground thought, Papyrus had never actually liked sleeping. Back when he worked in the labs and all throughout school when he was younger it was a distraction, an annoyance. Something that ate hours of time and that was utterly unproductive in his opinion.

 

It might've been a required bodily function but Papyrus had only ever seen it as a necessary evil. Something to grudgingly give in to when the coffee stopped having an effect.

 

After the accident though, and after...well after everything else that eventually happened, the reasons he hated sleep changed. Laying down in his bed at night always seemed to cause a dozen fractured memories to buzz in his skull; nightmare fuel that wouldn't stop.

 

Timeline after horrid timeline, all of his failures would swarm him fighting for attention. Sans dying by a human hand or dying by his own claws or all of Underswap being reduced to piles of dust.

 

Or even further back, when he'd robbed Sans of their only living relative, right down to his memories.

 

All of it on display in grisly detail until exhaustion finally claimed Papyrus or he forced himself awake if he was already asleep. He only ever seemed to doze peacefully at his station or on Undyne's couch these days.

 

As the first blurry images came into sharp relief in his mind Papyrus could feel himself tense. He didn't want to see this. He fought, trying to push himself awake from his lucid dream state but it was no use. The stabilizers were in full effect and with his exhaustion fueling them even more Papyrus had no choice but to be an unwilling audience.

 

The lab back then looked structurally the same as it did now. But it didn't hold Undyne's personal anime loving touches. No giant mecha posters adorned the walls. No action figures were spaced in between test tubes and beakers. The walls were still that horrid green color though and the floors were still cold grey metal tile.

 

It had been more sterile looking back then, fitting to the monster that ran it. The then current head royal scientist, Papyrus and Sans' father, Wing Ding Gaster.

 

He had been everything Papyrus had strived to become when he was younger; brilliant, creative, if a touch nonsensical at times, but above all, patient.

 

But Gasters' patience had been wearing thin that day.

 

_"We've been through this same argument several times Papyrus," Gaster sighed, leaning back in his chair. He looked exhausted, his current project running him ragged with little time to rest._

 

_Papyrus had scoffed, he'd been so young, so arrogant and ambitious, and so utterly full of himself, "And you're still not listening. I know I can make it work! You said so yourself, the problem with creating an artificial soul for the mobile blaster is the amount of power needed to create it. But that shouldn't be a problem, we have more than enough power if we use the core."_

 

_"Absolutely not," Gaster rubbed at his temples, fingers scrapping over bone to try and ease his oncoming headache, "First you don't know what effect draining that much power off the core at once will have on it, second you don't even know beyond a reasonable doubt that such an experiment would be stable and third even if stability isn't an issue you can't be certain you could ever duplicate the experiment. You would put the whole Underground at risk if something happens to the core because of your recklessness for one weapon."_

 

_Rolling out the mobile blaster blueprints on Gasters' desk, Papyrus tapped a finger on some hastily scrawled notes, "Well according to your calculations we'd only need one anyway."_

 

_"To bring down the barrier, yes, possibly, but that's in theory and rather shaky theory might I add which is why I didn't pursue it further. If the core is damaged you'll leave hundreds without power, or worse! The whole thing could bring the mountain down on us in a catastrophic event. The core is a very delicate machine, I **know** I taught you that."_

 

_"You taught me," Papyrus ground his teeth, "That science required risks."_

 

_"Reasonable risks Papyrus, ones where the benefit outweighs the possible negative effects. We don't even know for certain that an artificial soul would be capable of bringing down the barrier. A soul created in that manner could be no stronger than an ordinary monster soul, and let's not forget history," Gaster sighed, "It took seven mages to create the barrier in the first place which is why seven human souls are needed to destroy it."_

 

_Papyrus glared, "I get it old man, I really do but we have six souls at this point. Why sit around waiting for the last one? Who knows when another human will fall! There hasn't been one for years right? When you were a kid, that's when you said the last one fell? And monster souls can absorb human souls, so theoretically this artificial monster soul should be able to do the same thing right?"_

 

_"Papyrus-"_

 

_"Just imagine it! This thing with six human souls under the command of a single monster! With an almost god like being under our control we should easi-"_

 

_"Papyrus!" Gaster snapped, snatching the blueprint off his desk with a growl and rolling it up tightly. He shoved it into his desk drawer, "I've engaged this idea of yours long enough. You know I enjoy theoretical banter just as much as you do but some theories should never be more then just that. Theories."_

 

_"You haven't always played it safe with science," Papyrus said sullenly as Gaster stood to leave._

 

_"No I haven't," Gaster admitted, staring at the gaping holes in the bone of his palms, "And it hasn't always turned out well."_

 

_"We turned out well." Papyrus sulked._

 

_"Yes, you and Sans did," Gaster couldn't keep the smile from his face, "And I'm grateful for that, but I was very lucky to have accomplished that once, let alone twice."_

 

Looking back on his memories now Papyrus cursed himself, why hadn't he listened to his father? Why had he stubbornly insisted that Gaster was just being paranoid. He had been so certain that he could make the experiment with the mobile blaster a success. So stupidly, boneheadedly certain.

 

_"Papyrus," Undyne banged insistently on the locked door, "What the hell are you doing in there? It's been a week and you haven't even put an air horn under my chair!"_

 

_"I'm almost done," He had shouted back at her, "I'll be out....ummmm tonight," The last few cables just needed to be linked together to make sure this patchwork of a machine stayed in one piece. He'd scrounged the various parts from failed projects and quick teleports to the dump late at night to avoid drawing suspicion. Disappearing for days at a time wasn't unheard of for him or his father but he hadn't realized it'd been a week already._

 

_"One," Undyne's muffled snarl carried through the door, "You said that last night," He had? "And two your dad said he's overriding this door if I can't drag you out!"_

 

_Papyrus sighed; of course since it had been a week Gaster would be getting worried about him. Hell, Sans was probably having a fit of his own about now. Admittedly the situation was usually reversed with Papyrus dragging Gaster home when an absorbing project occurred. "Okay okay," Papyrus said, shutting down his computer, "I'm coming shark teeth, I'm coming, don't get your fins in a knot."_

 

_With one last reluctant look at the hulking machine and his powered down computer, Papyrus unlocked the door, stepping through to an irate Undyne._

 

_"Finally!" She huffed before stomping off, Papyrus following behind her, "What do you have in there Stretch huh? Another core?"_

 

_"Something like that," Papyrus mumbled, rubbing at his tired sockets. His hand reflexively reached for his chest before he lowered it._

 

_Undyne paused, giving him a long stare, "You don't look so good Stretch."_

 

_He smiled at the pet name, then ruffled her hair, instantly annoying her with the reminder of her slightly shorter height, "I'm fine shark teeth, just... tired."_

 

_"Wow," Undyne stared at him. Looking increasingly concerned, "Not even a pun? You're not bone tired?"_

 

_"Hey," Papyrus chuckled, "The puns are my thing fish stick."_

 

_"Ha ha."_

 

Going home had been just what he needed admittedly, Papyrus remembered. Gaster had been happy to see him finally pulled away from his project. There had been a questioning look on his face and a few subtle attempts to pry out what Papyrus was working on but he'd managed to deflect. Barely. Probably because Gaster had been exhausted as well.

 

When they'd gotten home Sans had been ecstatic. He'd barely left Papyrus's side for longer than a minute keeping up an almost constant stream of chatter about his week. They had lived in the capital at the time and Sans had been preparing for a school project. He'd desperately wanted Papyrus's help.

 

_"I tried to help him," Gaster had smiled, "But he said it had to be you."_

 

Sans hadn't even been able to settle down when his bed time came around. He'd demanded story after story, even when his eye sockets had started to droop. Eventually, despite all of Sans efforts, sleep won out.

 

_Papyrus leaned over, gently patting Sans' skull, "Night little Blue." How many years had it been since Papyrus had teasingly given him that nickname? He couldn't remember. Sans was growing so fast. With a sigh he quietly left his brothers room._

 

_He could hear Gaster in the kitchen, probably tinkering with the malfunctioning toaster again before bed. Some small repair work always seemed to help their father sleep, though at this point Papyrus considered that toaster a lost cause._

 

_Normally he'd join Gaster, but after a week of late nights, working until exhaustion finally forced him to fall asleep at his desk, Papyrus was just too tired._

 

_Quietly he retreated to his own room. It felt good to be home, even if his soul ached like mad. He'd been avoiding rubbing at his ribcage all night. In case his father noticed and thought it familiar. Dinner had been the worst, but at least all the bed time stories with Sans had given him a good distraction._

 

_With Gaster being so exhausted though, likely his latest project wasn't going well, Papyrus had managed to avoid suspicion. Having been holed up in his own lab a week and Sans being a nonstop talking machine all evening Papyrus hadn't had a chance to ask after his project._

 

_'Probably a good thing,' He thought, 'He might've decided to ask more about mine.' Papyrus had never been good at outright lying to his father._

 

_His throbbing soul made his bones ache. He hadn't counted on distance from 'it' causing a physical effect, though he should've. The bond he shared with 'it' hadn't been completely severed yet, it couldn't be, not until he activated the project and gave it a housing of its' own. He'd been intending to do it tonight but..._

 

_'Better to get some rest and come back to it with a clear head anyway,' Papyrus thought._

 

_He wondered if Gaster had suffered similar effects before they were complete. Papyrus was just glad that he hadn't had to punch a hole in his own palm, that would certainly be something he couldn't hide easily._

 

Laying down Papyrus had settled in, tucking a cool pillow tightly to his sternum to try and ease the ache. He had also taken a few pain killers he kept on his bedside for stress headaches. Thankfully it had seemed to take the edge off quickly and he had fallen asleep.

 

The trouble was staying asleep.

 

In the early hours of the morning, long past when Gaster had gone to bed, Papyrus had woken up for what had probably been the eleventh time that evening. His mind had kept going back to the project and what the next step was. Ideas and calculations kept disturbing him and the ache in his soul had become naggingly insistent, pulling him more than once from slumber.

 

_'I probably only slept about four hours,' Papyrus sighed, pulling himself from his bed and dressing in a fresh set of clothes from his clean laundry basket. Sans was always saying he should just put them away but it just didn't make sense if he was just going to take them out to wear them again._

 

_When at home he never left before his father and rarely before Sans woke up. He felt a prickle of guilt since he wouldn't be able to say good morning to Sans but, 'It's just too important,' Papyrus assured himself, 'I'll make it up to Sans tonight.'_

 

_Leaving a simple note on his nightstand for when his family inevitably called him to breakfast he grabbed his lab coat and badge before teleporting. One of the overnight lab techs, a cat monster, bid him good morning as they read a book at their desk._

 

_"Don't let Dad catch you," Papyrus laughed, "It would be a **cat** -tastrophy."_

 

_"Pppfffft," The cat monster rolled his eyes, "I'm on break."_

 

_The closer Papyrus got to his lab the more the aching of his soul eased until finally when he opened his workroom door the pain dwindled to almost nothing. He sighed in relief, slumping into his desk chair._

 

_His lab was as he'd left it of course, the cleaning staff knew better then to disturb an in-progress work room. Especially with Gaster as the head scientist. His eyes fell on the small cloth covered cylinder next to his computer. Carefully he removed the cover, taking in the soft orange glow inside._

 

_To most it would appear to be nothing more then a small glowing blob, but to him it was an amazing advancement and it wouldn't have been possible if he hadn't located Gaster's notes on their creation in the lab archives._

 

_The idea had hit him then, the perfect way to reduce the energy cost of creating an artificial soul. One that didn't require the complete sacrifice of a willing test subject. 'Why make a soul from scratch or take someone else's when a cutting from an existing soul will let you grow one.' He smiled._

 

_Of course in order to create the vessel he'd still need more energy than Gaster had needed for him and Sans, but it shouldn't be near the same level. This blob was his blueprint, a piece of a soul, his soul, that already knew what it should look like, what it should become._

 

_Like taking a cutting from a plant and modifying it._

 

_Papyrus wondered why his father hadn't considered this before, 'With two samples already taken for us maybe he was worried about structural integrity? Though,' Papyrus flipped through the old notes on his desk, 'Dad didn't write anything about soul integrity issues in here. Guess I'll just have to take notes as I heal.'_

 

_Glancing at the clock he was glad it was four in the morning. He ran through his calculations one final time. He had to make sure everything was accounted for and with the only shifts on duty a **skeleton** crew, he chuckled, there was less a chance to be interrupted at such a critical stage. Certainly with his father at home and unable to teleport it would be too late to stop it if his experiment had any noticeable effects to outside observers._

 

_Papyrus expected that there would be a minor dip in the core's power levels, but by his math, and he'd run through the calculations multiple times by now, it shouldn't be more then a blip. Maybe a person or two would lose lights for a few minutes. But nothing major._

 

_It would be over before anyone actually traced the power drain, he assured himself. Booting up his computer, Papyrus logged in and began carefully making his electronic way into the cores systems. Few monsters even knew about the back-door access Papyrus was using. It was something Gaster had shown him when he'd been a young and curious child. Always wanting to know what his father was up to. It was a way for Gaster to monitor and make minor adjustments to the core without having to be there in person._

 

_Apparently it had been really handy since he and Sans had been quite the handful, according to Gaster, when they were younger. Papyrus chuckled, Sans was still a handful if you asked him. Why his dad had chosen to create two kids only a few years apart he'd never understood. Hadn't his work load been high enough?_

 

_Papyrus remembered that Gaster had been only too happy to answer his questions, and he'd had a lot of them growing up. Honestly he had probably been more of a pest to his dads work day then Sans ever was. Sans hadn't developed much of an interest in the sciences, though he certainly enjoyed listening to his brother and father ramble on sometimes._

 

_Once his computer was through the back door channels Papyrus began the process of diverting excess power to the labs power grid. He had to be quick with this part, leaving too much extra power on the lab grid for too long could cause an overload. As it was he expected that once he activated the machine, even with his precautions, the lights would dim some, but nothing should go out._

 

_'At least I hope it doesn't. If dad loses an experiment because of this I'm in deep shit.'_

 

_Crossing his fingers he quickly moved the container holding the soul cutting into the machine slot, then flicked the switch on his desk. Starting up with a whirr and a click the machine began to subject the blob to a series of chemical cocktails he'd created in secret over the past several months._

 

_Originally he'd been planning to present these to Gaster as proof he could make the experiment viable but after the argument they'd had last month where he'd been completely shut down before he could mention them, Papyrus had turned to proceeding on his own._

 

_'We've been under this mountain long enough,' His hands curled into fists, 'Sans needs to see the stars, we all do.'_

 

_The blob began to agitate in the chemicals, he could almost feel it's distress, a sort of phantom pain that was steadily growing duller. Just as he'd expected, the bond between the donor and sample was steadily weakening. He was about to turn away when the blob began to move, 'Is this part of the process?' Gaster's notes hadn't mentioned it, 'Or is it because of the additions I had to make in-'_

 

_It slammed hard against the glass of the container and Papyrus watched in horror as a spider web of cracks trailed out from the point of impact, "Shit!" The process was almost done, he couldn't stop it now or it would all be for nothing!_

 

_"Hold together," Papyrus hissed as the little blob slammed harder and harder into various points on the container like some sort of trapped insect. The lights in his work room began to dim and flicker suddenly before a loud warning bell sounded from the machine._

 

_He turned to his computer in horror, something was wrong with the connection to the core. It was pumping in too much energy, accelerating the process faster then he'd accounted for in his calculations. The machines power readings were in the red, he had no choice, if he didn't shut it down..._

 

_Quickly Papyrus began attempting to sever the connection between the labs power grid and the core, if he could do that and then reroute the power to bring the levels down it might just-_

 

_ **'Error'** _

 

_His screen flashed, and Papyrus tried again._

 

_' **Error'**_

 

_He couldn't sever the connection, a sudden realization hit him, "If Dad's been working on the core this last week-"_

 

_The machine sparked, the labs power grid overloaded causing the lights to explode outwards in shards of glass and the soul, with one final slam into its container, broke free. Time seemed to slow for Papyrus as he watched the little blob of light fly toward him like a bullet. His soul manifested in an uncontrolled reflex and it slammed home with a burst of white pain._

 

_Dawning realization had come as he'd fallen to floor, body flexing in uncontrollable spasms, the little blob hadn't been trying to break free from distress or fear, it had simply been trying to get back to where it belonged._

 

The dream changed, moving from solid memory to flashing impressions and images. Bits and pieces breaking through like more pain, the sound of breaking bones, his own screams. He even recalled a few blurry faces, Undyne, Gaster, some of his co workers.

 

He remembered the vague feeling of wrongness, everything garbled up and muffled like being underwater. Everything had hurt.

 

Papyrus's first clear memory after the accident had been waking up in an exam room, the normal lab door having been replaced with energy bars.

 

_His head was pounding. Papyrus groaned, he felt...off. Not just from the aches and pains that seemed to be all over either. He lifted his head, his perspective was all wrong...too low to the floor? Attempting to sit up just caused him to fall over, his rib cage heaving with the effort._

 

_'So tired,' He felt his sockets sliding shut, he really shouldn't sleep on the floor. Gaster would have a fit. But he just needed to rest his sockets. He could hear footsteps approaching but couldn't bring himself to look._

 

_"His levels are finally stable," The voice was weary and familiar. 'Dad?'_

 

_"Thank fuck."_

 

_"Undyne please."_

 

_'Wait,' The fog seemed to slowly lift from his mind, 'Why am I in an exam room with...bars?'_

 

_Papyrus opened his sockets again, staring at Undyne and Gaster as they stood outside his makeshift cell. They looked haggard, like they hadn't slept in days._

 

_< Da-> Papyrus balked, that hadn't been speech._

 

_Shaky panic began to swell in his soul, shuddering he looked down at his hands, only, they weren't hands anymore. No longer nimble and dexterous_ _they were skeletal paws ending in long hooked claws. And his skull felt too heavy as he twisted his neck, looking behind him at his spine that now ended in a long tapered tail that was lashing in agitation._

 

_His soul spiked in panic, he began to hyper ventilate as he scrambled backward on all fours, spine hitting the wall behind him with a snap._

 

_"Papyrus," Was that his father? "Papyrus!" Gaster repeated urgently, giving him something to latch on too. "Papyrus can you hear me?"_

 

_Papyrus nodded, his bones rattling loudly._

 

_"It'll be alright," said Gaster quietly._

 

_No it wasn't! It wasn't going to be alright! How could his father stand there and tell him it was going to be alright? After what he'd done to himself? How could he just-_

 

_Papyrus crumpled to the floor, sockets slamming shut. His cries barely muffled by the tile._

 


	12. Chapter 12

Fell gave a heavy sigh, this wasn't a good situation no matter how he looked at it. His tracker was completely useless now, either from discovery or malfunction and it's last recorded coordinates were nowhere within New Home. His Underswap version was at large somewhere, after that rather threatening visit while he'd been detained, and the royal guard were searching for him.

 

If time wasn't such an issue then Fell would've laid low for the next week with his metaphorical ear pressed to the ground. Either by leaving his bolt hole as little as possible or finding some obscure corner of Underswap to get lost in.

 

Waterfall perhaps, if he could find a way there. He'd always liked Waterfall.

 

Maybe even Snowdin since it would remind him of home.

 

Unfortunately time was not on his side. Fell couldn't be sure how long Sans had left to live and for every hour he delayed returning the probability increased that his brother was already dead, _'If Gaster hadn't been lying about him being alive and injured to begin with,'_ The cynical part of his mind reminded him.

 

He pushed that thought away, burying it deep; now wasn't the time to think about that. He couldn't afford to have his doubts distract him and if there was _**any**_ chance Sans was still alive or could be saved then it was worth pursuing.

 

_'Trying to ease your own guilt?'_ Fell's thoughts sneered at him, _'It's kill or be killed. With Sans' HP it was only a matter of time,'_ But he could've done more. For starters he could've listened. Sans had been so angry about being removed from sentry duty and while they'd never been overly affectionate to each other, it was far too dangerous to do so in Underfell, after Sans had been let go their relationship had become strained, cold even.

 

It hurt.

 

A nagging pain that Fell hadn't been able to soothe.

 

He refused to let their last words to each other be strained pleasantries and bad puns, _'Even if I have to force that madman to reanimate his dust.'_

 

Refocusing with a growl, Fell sternly reminded himself that this was not the time. He had to find out where the guard had taken the experiment or if they had killed it and he had to do it quickly. Waltzing back into the detention center was, of course, out of the question.

 

And while grabbing and interrogating a guard monster might provide the information it would also have...messy consequences.

 

He shouldn't give a shit. He really shouldn't. But any guard he captured to extract information from would have to be killed to ensure they didn't alert anyone to his presence before he had a chance to **act** and for some reason that just didn't sit well.

 

Maybe this Underswap was wearing off on him, making him soft.

 

In the week he'd been scouring New Home he'd seen nothing but courtesy from the monsters around him. Fell was loathe to admit it, but he felt almost protective of this place.

 

Maybe it was left over from when he'd been a young naive baby bones. When even Underfell had felt like it had some light and hope in it.

 

If it came down to it though, he thought, as he prepared to leave his hideout, if he really could not get the information any other way, then...he'd have to. He would not waste the chance to save his brother out of weakness.

 

**

 

Around Fell the city street was bustling this morning. Monsters all over town were talking about the guard being out in larger numbers. As Fell listened he walked with his head down, the hood of his brothers coat pulled up to obscure his skull and his most obvious identifier, his healing scars.

 

He'd removed his cloak and tied it to look like a makeshift sack which he carried slung over his shoulder. Inside he'd stuffed his armor plus his more obvious accessories such as his gloves, boots and belts.

 

That had left him dressed in his black shirt and pants that he always wore under his armor, plus Sans' leather coat.

 

The thing was obnoxiously short on him of course, and the yellowish fluffy trim on the hood was a nuisance, constantly obstructing his vision. He hoped the cloak he'd been wearing over it originally had helped obscure it enough that Captain Alphys would not be able to provide a decent description. They'd been fairly quick to toss him in a cell after treating his injuries with healing magic after all.

 

It was a gamble but one he had to take in order to obscure his face properly.

 

Finding footwear to replace his boots had been a challenge but thankfully, with a little back alley digging, Fell had managed to secure a pair of scuffed, barely held together black replacements.

 

He pulled a cigarette from Sans' coat pocket and fought down a wave of disgust as he lit it. He really hated the damned things but this wasn't the first time he'd pretended to enjoy them.

 

Going under cover sometimes meant indulging in some....unhealthy habits to remain in character.  _ 'I should be grateful Sans didn't suddenly decide to quit after being let go. And that he never cleans out his damned pockets.'  _ Though finding that half melted monster candy had not been a pleasant experience. Fell swore he could still feel the sticky residue on his finger bones.

 

One thing working for him currently though was that skeleton monsters in Underswap didn't seem to be quite as rare as they were in Underfell. He'd passed two others just this morning in fact. Of course unlike him they didn't have a visible mark on their bones while his arms were scarred from years of constant battles.

 

Even with most monsters on the street paying him no attention, Fell wasn't about to push his luck. He kept his hands in his pants pockets as much as possible and walked with a slouch.

 

Between the posture and the outfit change Fell was reasonably certain he could remain unnoticed unless someone got a real good look at his face.

 

If only he'd had access to his resources from back in Underfell. All it would've taken was a good bit of magic and makeup to hide those damned scars but without that Fell had to rely on his other skills to remain undetected.

 

_ 'Information gathering was a lot easier before I got caught,'  _ He huffed to himself. He continued to keep an eye out as he walked and listened to the street gossip around him. Which was incredibly easy to overhear in Underswap apparently.

 

"Did you hear," Tittered an old lizard to a cat, "The guard is looking for an escaped prisoner!"

 

The cat nodded sagely, her paw reaching up to stroke at her whiskers, "I did! They even questioned my neighbor. You know, the one who's building was damaged the other night in that explosion?" She leaned in, as if trying to whisper, but still talking at normal volume, "I heard it was a skeleton monster! One apparently wearing some odd black armor and really garish red boots."

 

The lizard leaned back, gasping in feigned shock. Fell growled to himself,  _ 'Garish?! Those two wouldn't know style if it bit them on the tails!' _

 

Practically vibrating with excitement at this point the lizard monster said, "Well there aren't that many skeletons around, if it really was one of them then I'm sure they'll be caught before long. I wonder what made them blow up a building though?"

 

"Well!" The cat replied again, leaning in even closer, and now Fell did have to pause in order to listen. He leaned against a nearby building, pulling drags off his cigarette as she continued, "I heard it had something to do with that feral monster that was running loose last week!"

 

"Oh dear," The old lizard looked to be concerned for real now, wringing her coat in her hands, "Did they ever catch it?"

 

Fell moved on, not really interested in an answer he already knew. It was good to confirm that most of the street gossip on him seemed to center on his outfit, which meant either no one knew about his facial scar or Alphys was keeping that detail secret within the guard in order to cut down on false reports.

 

_ 'Or to lure me into a false sense of security,'  _ He grumbled. She was certainly clever enough to try that tactic. Still, the manner in which the two old biddies had been gossiping at normal speaking levels galled him,  _ 'Does  _ _**NO ONE** _ _ make an attempt to have a guarded conversation in this universe?' _

 

Well probably Captain Alphys would, though from her loud mouthed guard who decided to answer a  _**phone call** _ in front of a  _**prisoner** _ she might be the only one in the whole place. Honestly if this had been Underfell that guard would've been dusted on the spot by Undyne for such a breach of protocol. Whether they appeared to be asleep or not you  _**never** _ discussed vital operational information in front of a prisoner!

 

He was sorely tempted to write a very strongly worded letter. And if he wasn't in such a rush to get the experiment and get home already he would've done so!

 

The rest of the gossip going around in the crowd as Fell walked seemed to be focused on the guards increased patrols. Which he'd been dodging all morning by moving with crowds or taking back alleys if he felt they were too close, so that was hardly news to him.

 

At this point walking the street wasn't likely to garner him any further information but he had noted during the last week that the guards themselves tended to hang out at a particular New Home bar when on break or after hours. He'd used the bar as a way to get information during that time in fact by settling into a corner until some idiot was too drunk to maintain volume control indoors.

 

It had helped him get a handle then on the ins and outs of this universe, it's rules and customs. It's where he first realized that he could probably walk down the street wearing a target on his back, in fact, or a  _ 'free exp'  _ sign and no one would take the shot.

 

In order to avoid having to grab a guard off the street the bar would probably be his best bet but...that presented it's own problems. Mainly his damned scar again.

 

_ 'I shouldn't have been so careless with that mutt.'  _ Fell thought, thinking back to his fight with the experiment. There had been a moment where he'd thought he'd won, that the thing was too docile to fight back. He should've known better. He'd seen the destruction in Gaster's lab.

 

But he'd been so confident. Or maybe desperate.

 

Deftly he touched the tender scar on his eye socket, the three deep gouges that had broken through his skull a heavy reminder that just because this universe was peaceful didn't mean he should let his guard down.

 

_ 'Maybe I should just kidnap a guard,'  _ He sighed,  _ 'It would hardly be the first time I've had to kill, especially during a spying mission and I doubt it'll be the last but,'  _ Fell looked around at the bustling street before him, the monsters talking and laughing openly. At the crowded happy monsters all around him,  _ 'This isn't Underfell...It wouldn't...' _ He looked again, watching a group of children run by, screeching with laughter,  _ 'It wouldn't be honorable.' _

 

A small bloodthirsty part of his mind sneered at him,  _ 'Honorable? Really? The great and terrible Papyrus? More like you're scared to kill a few worthless monsters too stupid to know how to properly fight!' _ He pushed that down, he would not sink to the levels of other high  **lvl** monsters just to appease his need for expediency. 

 

He really wouldn't be able to face Sans if he did.

 

_"I didn't mean it!" A young Papyrus cried, his small boots stained with dust, "I didn't want to!" He fell forward, holding on to Sans tightly, "They wouldn't stop trying to hurt me! I just wanted them to leave me alone!"_

 

_"Hey," Sans soothed, stroking Papyrus' skull, "It's okay, you had to. It's okay. Remember what we promised?"_

 

_Papyrus hiccuped, his sobs slowing, "We only kill if we have to."_

 

_"That's right."_

 

As he approached the bar more on instinct then decision, Fell began to concoct a plan. It might take longer then he'd like but he didn't technically have to be inside the bar to gather intelligence. There was a window on the alley side of the building, near to the front.

 

Loud drunk voices exiting or from inside the bar would easily carry to him from there. Or would at least assist him in finding someone who was black out drunk enough he could ask them questions without them remembering it later.

 

Hopefully.

 

It was risky, but if he was really determined to maintain his ' _ honor _ ', his mental voice sneered at him, then this would be the best option currently.

 

As the bar came in sight, Fell couldn't help but smile a little. This place had been a second home to his bolt hole over the last week. The building was well maintained, not some hole in the wall dive like most of the bars back in Underfell.

 

Not including Grillby's of course. The fire elemental prided himself on a certain amount of class. Even if it was a shiny veneer over the back room dealings often carried out inside.

 

He really wished he had managed to avoid capture the other night. Not just because it would make gathering information easier, but also because the food and drink in this place had been particularly good. Also surprisingly light on grease, which Fell always appreciated.

 

The interior smelled more of food then the alcohol they served actually. Herbs, spices, his mouth was watering just thinking about it. Especially since his last good meal had been the detention center dinner he'd been served.

 

He should've picked something up from that food vendor he'd passed three blocks back.

 

Sighing Fell slipped into the alley. The building opposite the bar was some kind of dry cleaners, and the scent of soap and detergent warred strangely with the smell of food in the alleyway. Fell settled himself on a wooden crate, glad he lacked any flesh so he wouldn't have to be concerned with splinters.

 

The small window was above his head, and the front door was to his back around the nearby corner. From here he could already hear several people talking inside. There would be a few guards here now, but the larger amount would appear as the day shift changed to night.

 

He pulled a small piece of carving wood from his pocket and slipped a knife from his boot.

 

He just had to wait.

 

**

 

Red snorted, startling himself from a fitful sleep, his eye socket stung like hell. His rest had been plagued with vague and discomforting images. Not quite a nightmare, but close enough to leave him feeling unsettled. Some of it had been recognizable. Gaster's face for instance. Some of it had been more a feeling of being caged or trapped. Probably left over from the rock slide.

 

And some of it had been completely undecipherable.

 

He sighed, taking in his surroundings. The door to the room was propped open as Undyne and Blue had promised him. The two were nowhere in sight but he could hear murmured voices down the long hallway.

 

He still felt....somewhat unsettled being in a laboratory but he had to admit the place had a warmer feel then Gaster's lab back home. The walls, for one, actually had cartoonish posters and a shelf contained a few small nick knacks.

 

They were action figures like the kind he used to get Papyrus for his birthday. The ones he claimed to no longer have but Sans knew they were on a high shelf out of sight of Papyrus' bedroom door. He felt a sad smile curl the corners of his jaw.

 

A heavy melancholy settled over his bones,  _ 'I wonder if he's had a funeral for me?'  _ Funerals were an uncommon practice in Underfell, but Red hoped Papyrus would at least do that for him.

 

Speaking of Papyrus though, or a Papyrus at least, Red's eye-lights settled on Stretch. He was still asleep on the cot across the room, twitching, his face curled in a grimace.

 

Red wondered what unpleasant dream he was trapped in. He slipped down from his own cot, wincing as the change in position made his head throb painfully. He wasn't sure if the lingering pounding in his skull at this point was from a lack of caffeine, nicotine or the remain dregs of Gaster's final cocktail.

 

Slipping across the room he reached up to Stretch, prodding him lightly at first with a paw. When that got no response he attempted to push him awake but all that got him was a groan. Stretch was, effectively, dead to the world.

 

Wincing again as his head flared painfully Red tentatively decided to give his own magic a good prodding. What came back to him was that it felt...better. More like what he was used to in the month he'd secretly been under Gaster's ' _ care _ '. In fact it felt like the aftermath from the very first time he'd ever transformed.

 

That had been a harrowing experience; Red shuddered with remembered pain. If only he'd had more time to analyze what Gaster had been injecting him with then maybe....maybe he could've figured it out before being stuck like this.

 

Red shook his head, no he would not dwell on that now. It was far too late to worry about that. Now he just needed to find a way to get stable and ultimately get home. Of course if he could remember where the stupid machine had dumped him into this universe that would help!

 

But of course there was a big gaping black hole where that memory was.

 

Prodding his magic more firmly Red came to the conclusion it wasn't fully stable, but might be enough to hold a bipedal transformation for a bit. Hopefully at least an hour if he was lucky and his magic wasn't feeling particularly temperamental.

 

< _ Long enough to get some fucking coffee and find out if they destroyed that tracker anyway, _ > Red growled to himself. He really hoped that Gaster hadn't been able to use that to keep tabs on him through the dimensional rift.

 

And stars dammit he really hoped Gaster hadn't followed him. Though getting his own hands dirty wasn't typically the royal scientists style.

 

Someone was apparently out for his dust though, if his scattered memories were anything to go on. And there had been that phone call Captain Alphys had made on their way here too. The one that had gone unanswered.

 

Red had passed out before getting an update on that little pickle.

 

_ 'Shit's never easy,' _ He sighed.

 

Of course there was one tiny issue about attempting a transformation currently, Red realized as he looked himself over.

 

He was completely bare boned. He knew he shouldn't give a shit, it's not like he was modest and it's not like he was currently a naked feral skeleton beast anyway! But....the thought of going out there in his normal state naked...well...

 

Red flushed, yeah that wasn't happening.

 

He took another look around the room, but the cots didn't have blankets on them and he certainly wasn't going to tear up their plastic coverings. That would just be stupid.

 

Finally his gaze settled back on Stretch.

 

Stretch with his battered, torn up, shorts and hoodie.

 

< _ Meh, not like he needs it. _ >

 

**

 

Undyne smiled, finally hearing the sound of soft breathing from the lab sofa. Sans had been exhausted from being up all night and with no sign of the escaped prisoner he had opted to take a short nap.

 

She didn't blame him, though she could tell from the slight lift of his eye socket lids every so often that he wasn't completely asleep. More like dozing in case this 'Fell' showed up on her doorstep.

 

At least that was one part of it. Undyne was also sure being angry wasn't conducive to restful slumber, even if Sans had calmed some since last night.

 

She chuckled slightly to herself as she stretched out her back. Papyrus was in for one hell of a fight when he woke up and she had to admit it would be nice to have ring side seats. She knew her best friend would not like having the long overdue conversation with Sans but there was no getting around it.

 

This needed to happen.

 

_'Maybe I should've gotten involved sooner,'_ She sighed to herself, hands nervously tinkering with the lab tools set on the table.

 

Papyrus's behavior towards Sans had always struck a rather sour cord with her. Even though she wasn't close to Sans, she'd heard about their occasional fights from Papyrus during his visits.

 

She had thought she was being respectful of them both, that it wasn't her place to meddle. So she had listened and had generally tried to be supportive but sometimes Papyrus seemed to be worried about the vaguest and oddest things.

 

Undyne had tried to question him about it to get more information on what it was specifically that was bothering him but each time Stretch would get...quiet.

 

He'd never actually given her a straight answer either and most of the time had dropped the subject right after. Once he'd even left. Just teleported away when she'd asked, _"Why do you think Sans would just let someone with a weapon walk up to him?"_

 

In fact he'd avoided the lab like the plague for three weeks after that.

 

Maybe if she had pressed a little harder she could've gotten to the bottom of it. Or at the very least she could have shown Sans a little support. Based on last night's conversation the poor guy had clearly felt like no one was in his corner regarding his brother's overbearing behavior.

 

Not even Alphys.

 

And Undyne knew from her letters with Alphys that she absolutely adored Sans. Completely. Even if she was worried about how being a full guard would affect him she had been floored with his abilities and had never wanted to deny him an opportunity to test his limits.

 

Sans was responsible as hell and being a little overly optimistic hardly meant he was defenseless or even helpless. Especially in a fight.

 

Undyne chuckled, recalling one letter Alphys had sent her about Sans chasing a thief across all of New Home. The poor monster had been so exhausted by the end of it that they'd just given up. Sans, as Alphys letter recalled, hadn't even seemed winded.

 

She sighed, this really wasn't the time to get lost down memory lane, not with an escaped prisoner hunting their sleeping guest.

 

Speaking of Red, she grinned, eyes scanning the data she'd been analyzing for the last several hours. The results so far were fascinating. While similar to Papyrus's mutation there was something unique about Red's.

 

In fact even beyond the mutation there was something unique about Red in general.

 

Structurally, of course, he was just another ordinary skeleton monster.

 

Magically though?

 

He was like nothing Undyne had seen before. His magic had a kind of ' _edge_ ' to it, an intent that clearly was designed for injury, not kindness, courage or any of the other positive traits found in her world.

  
And regarding the mutation that caused his transformations? There was an intent to it in the chemicals used. Stretch's mutation had been an accident and the chemical makeup that had restructured his magic clearly showed that.

 

But this? This was calculated, not a single molecule out of place.

 

Red had been changed by design, not accident. Which was an uncomfortable thought.

 

_'If Stretch had used a test subject instead of trying to make an artificial soul...,'_ She shuddered.

 

The clear intent in Red's mutation had the unfortunate side effect of being incredibly aggressive as well. Whereas Papyrus' transformations were often brought on by stress or overexertion, Red's mutation, from her preliminary tests, seemed to just constantly be trying to assert itself.

 

As if it was the dominant form, not the skeleton he should be.

 

She rubbed her eyes, pulling her glasses off. Getting this mutation under control would be challenging, even the stabilizers she had now clearly wouldn't do more then provide temporary relief. Probably not even consistently. Worse yet, it could take months to formulate a proper solution tailored specifically for him.

 

The only upside was that the chemical cocktails that clearly had affected his mind were washing out of his magic at least. Meaning whoever had done this to Red hadn't yet hit on the right combination to erase his sense of self. Which was a blessing if anything.

 

Who had done this to Red? He was a Sans from another universe, or so Stretch had communicated to her before he'd run back alone to the lab. And since Stretch was a scientist here could that mean Red's brother, if he had one at any rate, was a scientist as well.

 

Could Red's Papyrus have done this to him?

 

Undyne looked over at her own universe's Sans dozing peacefully on the sofa. If Stretch had been so unethical as to use a living subject in his experiments could he have used his own brother? Or could he have been so overbearing to have gone mad thinking that by having this kind of control it was some form of protection?

 

That thought horrified her.

 

So many questions and no answers without Red being awake and able to communicate. She sighed, the sooner she taught him morse code the better. Or since Stretch had seemed to be able to communicate with Red the sooner he could translate for them the better.

 

She was about to turn back to the data, to run a few more scans and recheck some variables when a rasping voice brought her up short, "Please tell me you have some fucking coffee. Or at least a stars damned cigarette. My head's gonna split open and my skulls already cracked so I don't need any more ventilation up there."

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had a lot of fun writing this chapter and it turned out very different then the original draft. That said this is my final block of currently written chapters. I've already started on a new block so hopefully the time between update barrages won't be quite so long this time. In the meantime there is my tumblr if you want to come visit :D http://hollowredskele.tumblr.com/


	13. Chapter 13

Whipping around in her chair with a startled yelp, Undyne's eyes landed on an unfamiliar looking short skeleton. He was leaning unsteadily on the door frame to the main room and wearing Stretch's beat up hoodie, which was practically a tent on him.

 

The huge crack running up from his left eye socket and his deep red eye-lights gave his identity away, even if the short stature hadn't already given her a clue.

 

Her jaw dropped slightly, she had thought Red would be similar to her Sans but instead the level of difference was staggering. Other than being short Red was angular, his jaw line sharper and his currently down turned mouth was lined with pointed teeth.

 

There were also stub like horns protruding from his head, two to a side and a slowly lashing boney tail just visible beneath the curtain of orange fabric covering him.

 

Appearance wise Red and her Sans seemed nothing alike at all, "R-red?"

 

Grumbling Red pushed himself away from the door frame, "Sure, as far as names go we'll work with that, just," His sharpened fingers began rubbing at his skull, "tell me you have some fucking coffee at least?"

 

"Language," Came a sleepy mutter from the couch behind Undyne, "And you could at least say please," Sans sat up with a tired huff and paused, looking Red up and down. He frowned, "My brother is going to kill you for taking his hoodie."

 

Red rolled his eyes, "Stretch's passed out still, it's not like he needs it Blue. Now, could you _please_ get me some fucking coffee?"

 

Crossing his arms Blue's face set into a harsh glare, "You know, for a supposed version of me, you're awfully rude."

 

"Aw, so sorry cupcake," Red chuckled, walking stiffly into the main room, "Did I hit a _nerve_?"

 

"....Skeletons don't have nerves."

 

Undyne could practically see it coming, she squeezed her eyes shut, grinding down on her teeth as Red replied with a smug grin, "Awwwwww did I _RIB_ ya then?"

 

One indignant and horrified screech, that had amazingly still not woken Stretch, of _'He's as bad as my brother'_ later and Red was comfortably seated on a spare lab chair, a mug of coffee in his hands. He flexed his fingers around the hot cup, obviously relishing in the warmth. Likely still sore from changing back. Red grimaced as he took a big swig from his cup, "Dang you need to clean out yer fucking pot."

 

"Told you," Sans chuckled, "But please Red, language?"

 

Shrugging Red finished the rest of his mug in a single chug, "Sure thing Blue, whatever you say."

 

"Blue?" Sans blinked in confusion, "Wait, do you mean _me_?"

 

"I'm sure as hell not talking about fish lips over there. Though," Red paused, looking Undyne over, "Okay yeah guess that would've made sense too. But," He shrugged, holding out his empty mug toward Undyne, silently demanding a refill, "You called me Red. I'm guessing for the eyes," Sans nodded, "So yeah I'm calling you Blue. You certainly wear enough of it."

 

Undyne huffed as she filled Red's coffee cup a second time. At least Red calling her fish lips was better than Papyrus's term of endearment, _fish_ _stick_ , but only just.

 

"I didn't know you had a name," Sans defended, "And I couldn't exactly ask at the time! And there's nothing wrong with the color blue!"

 

"Yeah well," Red shrugged, leaning back with his second cup of coffee, "Didn't say I had a particular problem with the name or what you wear, did I? Anyway us both going by 'Sans' would just complicate shit. Plus it would just be weird hearing my own name not directed at me."

 

Sans.... _ **Blue**_ sighed, "Fair enough...I guess it would feel pretty weird."

 

"Exactly," Red nodded, sipping his bitter coffee. He was obviously fighting not to pull another face even as he began to drink it down.

 

"So, how exactly did you get here?" Blue asked.

 

Undyne spoke up, before Red could answer, her own curiosity eating her alive, "And how exactly are you," she looked him up and down, "Normal?"

 

Red had to fight down the shudder caused by Undyne's rather intense stare, he hated feeling like he was under a microscope. He leaned back in his chair, staring at one of his hands intently, "This...ain't exactly normal...well for me anyway." He paused reaching his hand up to brush at the stubbed horns along his skull, "I don't usually have....extras...this shit and the tails new. Fingers aren't exactly the same either..." He grimaced, flexing them.

 

"You know that's it," Blue grumbled, "I'm getting a swear jar."

 

Red shook with laughter, "Good fucking luck sunshine! I'm _**dead**_ broke!" He broke into another laughing fit, his breath coming in great gasps as he settled down. Red wiped at his eyes, shifting to look a little more seriously at them, "I should probably mention I usually can't stay like this for too long. But that stuff you gave me," He looked at Undyne, "It definitely helped some, at least enough to calm my magic for a bit. But," He looked back down at the mug in his hands, "I can still feel it, so, probably got maybe an hour or so?"

 

Grabbing her notepad off her desk Undyne nodded, "No time to waste then. You've never been able to stay normal for an extended amount of time?"

 

"Yeah," Red gulped, trying not to squirm under Undyne's intense gaze, _'Damn are all scientists like this?!'_ , "Never. Not since the experiment anyway..." Red grumbled, "but then again that asshole wasn't exactly trying to help me either."

 

Undyne paused, lifting the pen slightly from her notepad. She stared down at it apprehensively, debating whether to voice her prior hypothesis, "So...this asshole...he's," She said, licking her lips nervously as the burning need to know for certain overrode her caution, "....your Papyrus, right?"

 

Blue's sockets widened in disbelief at Undyne's suggestion, _'How could she even-'_ Out of the corner of his eye-lights Red leapt out of the chair, growling sharply, his tail thrashing in agitation, "Papyrus would _never_ -" He hissed, "Why would you even fucking _suggest_ that!"

 

Shrinking in her chair Undyne raised her notepad up in a flimsy attempt at defense, "I-I uh, I me-mean," She stuttered unable to get her words out with Red practically looming over her.

 

Reacting to the subtle shift of magic in the room, Red turned, glaring at Blue, "I ain't gonna attack her numbskull!" He snorted.

 

"Then please calm down," Blue said firmly, "Undyne's just trying to clarify some things," He looked at her, his face hard, "...Trying to investigate. Right?"

 

Before she could answer for herself, Red snapped, "Well she can investigate without making stupid ass assumptions!" He stomped, the effect somewhat less intimidating while in the far too large for him hoodie, "Or implicating that my brother would _EVER_ fucking do this to me! What do you people take us for huh? Some sick fucks?" He growled, "You don't even know us! You don't even know our universe! You don't know shit!"

 

Blue's hands raised, placating, "You're right we don't know," He admitted, "So please, please tell us who in your universe did this to you."

 

Huffing, anger seemingly expelled for the moment Red dropped back into his chair as Undyne gave a small sigh of embarrassed relief, "I-I'm sorry Red," She murmured, "I just...our Papyrus here, Stretch, he's a scientist and he came up with the mobile blaster design he turns into so I thought-"

 

"That my brother is into science and because I'm the blaster that he did this to me right?" Red finished, "Well how do you know that I'm not the scientist and didn't do this to myself huh?"

 

Undyne blinked, "That-That would be silly, why make yourself lose your identity? I mean that could, I suppose, have been an accidental side effect, but you implied someone else wasn't trying to help you a second ago and from what I've been able to observe of this mutation so far," She said, hands gesturing wildly, "It's incredibly well designed. Like what happened to Stretch was clearly an accident, even at the molecular level! But this, what's going on with you! It's incredible, not to mention frightening! I mean, why would someone do that to another monster, especially when this mutation is so aggressive it wants to be the dominate form opposite of what you should be, almost like some kind of virus! You can't accidentally make that, you have to plan for it...okay well I guess you could accidentally make that, but the aggressive intent in the mutation and in your magic is just so unique, so different from our universe that I-"

 

"Okay, okay Fish lips, calm the fuck down," Red snickered, "It was just a question. Damn, I wonder if I ever got that wordy with Papyrus back in the day," He sighed, smile falling, "No, to answer your stupid question, Papyrus isn't interested in science. That used to be my department, kinda. I never delved as deeply as you or I'm guessing sleeping beauty back there," He said, gesturing back to the hallway, "My brother didn't do this to me. Our royal scientist, the sick bastard, it's his handiwork. Unfortunately I helped without really realizing what the fuck I was doing," He growled, "Fucking bastard."

 

 

"So," Blue asked curiously, "If you were into science, is your Papyrus maybe a Royal Guard Cadet?"

 

Red doubled over laughing, "Fuck no! My brother was a Cadet for all of a month before they let him in and he barely contained himself _that_ long!" Laughter subsiding he smiled, "Nah Papyrus is already Captain of Snowdin and pretty much the most vicious cunning bastard alive in Underfell next to Royal Guard Captain Undyne."

 

Shoving down a flash of jealousy, Blue asked, "Okay, so if...Undyne's your Royal Guard Captain then....your royal scientist is....Alphys?" He had a hard time believing Alphys of any universe could possibly experiment on someone. It just didn't feel right. Then again, nothing about this situation felt right.

 

Blue's soul knotted in worry. Could Alphys really be capable of robbing someone of their free will? He knew that Underfell, as Red had called it, wasn't his universe but still, could the differences be that extreme?

 

Though looking over Red's visible cracks and scars, his sharp teeth...maybe it really was.

 

Blinking, Red raised a hand to his chin in thought, "My universe's version of your Guard Captain you mean right? It was Captain Alphys that brought us here last night, right?," Blue nodded. Red shook his head, "Nope, never heard of her in Underfell before actually. So maybe she doesn't exist," He shrugged.

 

"I'm actually kinda glad," Blue sighed in relief, "I mean I know it's not my universe but..."

 

"I get it," Red nodded, glancing over at Undyne who blinked rapidly, "Believe me." Pausing Red looked at his once again empty coffee mug, he held it out towards Undyne again.

 

"Nuh uh," Undyne chided, "You've had two, any more and you'll be an even bigger nervous wreck. You've been fidgeting this whole time." She said, having picked up on Red's twitching tail throughout their conversation.

 

Red laughed, "Darling I'm always nervous, a case of the jitters ain't gonna matter. Besides, it's this or a smoke and somehow," He looked between them, "I don't think either of you wants me smoking in here."

 

"Fine," Undyne sighed in defeat, pouring out a third cup, "If you get sick don't blame me." As she refilled his coffee again she asked, "So, if you don't mind me asking, even if we don't know them directly, I'm curious....who is your Royal Scientist?"

 

Red took a long sip before answering, "The asshole," He muttered, sharp fingers anxiously tapping the ceramic mug. The lab was silent momentarily except for the clinking sounds, "His name.. His name is Gaster. W.D. Gaster technically. Ring any bells?" He looked between them again.

 

Undyne shook her head. Red noted her face looked almost eerily blank all of a sudden, as did Blue's in fact, "Sounds...weird...maybe?" Undyne finally said, tilting her head this way and that, "No, no I don't remember anyone with that name."

 

"Me either," Blue shrugged, "Feels oddly familiar though? Well the Capital's a big place, maybe I saw their name in the guard records at some point."

 

"Okay," Red growled, "Well guess that's a good thing. Cuz I think if I saw that bastards face again I'd tear him to shreds for this," Those expressions they'd had left him weirdly unsettled though. Red shook slightly forcing himself not to claw at his own arms. He hadn't liked that look at all. Almost like they hadn't been real for a second, his soul gave a gnawing twist reminding him he had a time limit, "Well that aside, you wouldn't happen to have any more of those pills? Would ya doc?"

 

"I do," Undyne sighed, "But, I wouldn't really recommend you taking any more for the time being. First because I should really establish a clearer baseline in my data to better tailor one for you personally and," She looked over at Blue. He nodded, urging her to continue, "W-well, there's, there's been a-a bit of a develop-developing situation," She stuttered, pausing as Red rubbed at his cracked eye socket. Her voice grew confident again, "Before that though, how's your eye socket?"

 

"My eye socket?" Red blinked.

 

Undyne nodded, "Yes, that's unfortunately where the tracker was located."

 

"Son of a bitch," Red snarled, "I'm probably lucky he didn't decide to put it directly on my soul. It stings like a bitch," He chuckled at Blue's choked protest at such a vulgar word, "So what is this...situation...exactly? Cuz no offense doc, but I'd really rather be back on four legs as little as possible if I've got a choice here."

 

Looking decidedly more uncomfortable Red watched as Undyne turned her face to Blue, her expression pleading, "Fine," Blue said, "I'll explain," He turned to Red, "Do you remember the phone call Captain Alphys tried to make on our way here?"

 

"The one where she did it like, three fucking times and no one answered so she sent some guards to investigate?" Red asked.

 

"Right," Blue nodded, "Well she contacted us last night after you passed out. It seems her prisoner escaped."

 

"And that has to do with me, how?" Red said with a raised brow.

 

Blue looked him over with concern, "I know now you were pretty out of it, but, how much do you remember from the last week?"

 

"....not much," Red admitted reluctantly, "A few flashes of things...smells...weird stray thoughts...but nothing lucid."

 

"Do you..." Blue hesitated, unsure if he should continue. He took a deep breath, soldiering on, "Remember being attacked? Back in New Home."

 

Red's eye-lights guttered out as his mind began to swirl. Fuzzy images assaulted him as his hands gripped the mug tightly. If he'd had flesh Undyne was sure his knuckles would be white.

 

"Red?" Blue moved closer, "You okay?" When he didn't respond immediately Blue cautiously reached out, taking hold of Red's hands and gently prying the almost empty mug from his tight grip.

 

The **act** seemed to shake Red from his paralysis. He blinked, eye-lights returning to his sockets to focus on Blue in front of him, "I'm-I'm fine," It came out weak and frail, he cleared his throat, trying again, "I'm fine Blueberry," He said with more conviction, "I don't really remember much, like I said..." He finally trailed off.

 

"Honestly," Undyne sighed, "I'm not surprised your memory's spotty. Here," She said, reaching for a small print out on her desk. She handed it to Red, tapping a particular line with the butt of her pen, "This chemical. Do you recognize it?"

 

Red growled low. It sounded feral and angry. Undyne struggled not to flinch, "Yeah. It's what made me realize that bastard was screwing over our deal to begin with."

 

Filing the word _'deal'_ away for later examination, Blue looked at the paper. He couldn't, for the life of him even hope to pronounce the chemical Undyne's pen was pointing at, "I...don't understand," He said, "Sorry, Papyrus really is better at this...so what exactly am I looking at?"

 

"Mind altering drugs cupcake," Red sighed. His eye-lights scanning the rest of the chemicals listed on the print out, "Judging by the numbers and just the sheer amount of shit here, that last cocktail he tried on me was pretty much everything but the stars damned kitchen sink. No wonder my head feels like a fucking Knight Knight sat on it," He ended with a hiss, handing the print out back to Undyne.

 

Red glanced between the two of them, and Blue was sure he saw a momentary flash of discomfort when his eye-lights fell on Undyne again, "So what exactly is the plan here," Red said flexing his slightly trembling fingers.

 

Blue's pretty sure that trembling is not from three cups of coffee.

 

"If it's alright with you," Undyne said, "I'd like to take additional samples. True you're still being affected by the drugs I gave you, but you are, at least at present, a little more stable. Sadly it's going to take time for me to actual tailor a medicine for you specifically," She sighed, "Preferably one like Stretch's where you don't actually need to take it unless you're on the verge of or having a flair up, though," She bit her lip, "That could take months.... Honestly I'd give you Stretch's now so you're comfortable and hang the additional work it causes the numbers but with the prisoner on the loose...well..."

 

"I can't afford to be taking a nap every few hours," Red finished with a nod.

 

"Do you have any idea why he might be after you?" Blue asked.

 

Red shook his head, "No, nothing that comes to mind. I mean," He chuckled darkly, "I've pissed off a lot of people back home but somehow I doubt any of them would dimension hop just to get at me. Most likely," He paused, thinking it over, "It's someone Gaster hired so he wouldn't have to get his damn hands dirty."

 

Nodding Blue hmmm'd in thought, "Well if he sent someone after you they probably have orders to bring you back alive so, that's something right?"

 

Red gave a vicious laugh, "Alive still leaves a lot of wiggle room sunshine! Hacking off my limbs so I can't get away is still ' _alive_ '. More likely he wants me still functional though. I doubt I'd be of use if I couldn't be his mindless pet...Then again," He growled, "He could still make me a test case I suppose. Even that damaged. Just dissect me, extract the data and find a sturdier target."

 

The color drained from Undyne's face as she stared at Red, "Would he...really-" She broke off at his hard stare, "R-right," She gulped, "L-let me get some, some s-samples then."

 

As Undyne turned away from them, both to gather her tools, and likely to compose herself, Blue considered the puzzle that was Red.

 

The more angular skeleton seemed like a complete opposite and not just because he was slightly taller. A fact that perturbed Blue more than a little. And no, Blue assured himself, he did not just make a short joke.

 

Blue watched as Undyne began collecting her fresh samples. Red was, for the most part cooperating, hesitating only slightly at times. He didn't so much as flinch even when she began scraping bone from a sizable old crack along Red's arm.

 

One that, disturbingly, looked like it had been reopened in places recently.

 

Blue filed that observation away along with Red's remark on his deal with his royal scientist...what was the name again? Right...Gaster. Continuing to observe Red, Blue took note of the wariness in his eye-lights. It was like watching a half tamed animal. Part of Blue wanted to reassure Red, but from what he'd already pieced together on his personality he knew that wouldn't go over well if he wasn't careful.

 

No Red certainly didn't seem to be the type to want, accept or even trust consolation, especially something physical, like a hug. Which was often Blue's normal reaction to someone in distress. He wondered why Red had been so quick to comply with coming to the lab in the first place then or allowing Undyne to give him medicine. Which he'd accepted pretty easily at the time.

 

Unfortunately, Blue realized, the earlier easy compliance probably was due to exhaustion, both mental and physical. Though the amount of guards probably hadn't hurt either. Regardless of why Red had accepted their help so readily before the only reason he probably wouldn't just disappear on them now was the escaped prisoner and the looming threat of being dragged back to...the royal scientist of his universe...whatever his name was again.

 

_'Weird...',_ Blue frowned, he usually was good at remembering names.

 

Regardless, Blue realized they needed to be careful with how they dealt with Red from here on. His outburst at Undyne's, admittedly crass, question had been concerning to say the least. Once the prisoner situation was dealt with Blue would like to think Red could stick around, at least long enough for Undyne to finish his medication but...

 

Okay, Blue sighed, forcing himself to admit that he'd like Red to just stay with them regardless. His universe, so far, didn't exactly sound pleasant after all.

 

But maybe the bigger reason was that seeing a version of himself so beaten down and defensive was...disturbing. But then again, Red really wasn't Blue, was he.

 

Oh sure his name is Sans, and he's similar, sorta, but even saying Red was a version of anyone sounded so... de-monsterizing. Reducing Red to just being 'a Sans' simply felt....wrong.

 

On a fundamental level, Blue realized, treating someone as skittish as Red like he himself would want to be treated would result in Red bolting like a frightened animal at best. Or make him lash out, if not verbally, like he had at Undyne, then physically, at worst.

 

The degrees of separation between the two of them were just that vastly different. So much so they might as well be two monsters who just happened to share a name.

 

In fact, Blue reasoned, that's exactly what they were.

 

Anyway, he had to admit, even if it was just privately, that he kinda liked the nickname Red had given him. Blue smiled. It actually reminded him of Papyrus a little. Though he guessed he should refer to his brother by Undyne's pet name for him, Stretch, to avoid confusion from now on.

 

When they were younger Blue and Stretch had given each other silly names all the time. In fact Blue had called Stretch ' _Carrot_ ' for months because he always seemed to wear orange. And, Blue remembered fondly, Stretch had actually called him ' _Blue_ ' back then. Though at the time he'd acted as if it was the worst thing ever, but really, he secretly missed silly things like that.

 

He wondered if Red's Papyrus had ever given him a nickname. Or if he had a nickname of his own that Red called him.

 

Looking back at Red who was currently rolling his eyes at Undyne's fussing over the state of his bones, Blue's mind wandered a bit, what might Red's brother be like with Red seemingly so fidgety and short tempered? Was he harsh maybe? Strict? Overprotective like Stretch?

 

Red had said his Papyrus was already a guardsman, something that, if he was honest made Blue just a touch jealous, but-

 

He paused, pieces to a puzzle suddenly seeming to align themselves as a memory pushed itself to the forefront of his mind. He stared at Red, truly stared at him, at how he was similar to himself but so different, the way he carried himself, the clip of his speech.

 

Blue stood suddenly, surprising both Undyne and Red, a smile plastered over his features, "I'm going to check on Pap-I mean Stretch."

 

"Sure," Undyne said, waving him on, "He probably won't be awake for a little while longer yet. I had to give him a pretty high dosage this time."

 

For the briefest moment Red's expression blanched, his sockets widening marginally as he stared at Undyne. Clearly being alone with her was still making him nervous. Not wanting to sound patronizing, Blue said, "Just yell if you need anything Red, and Undyne," She looked up from her chart at him, "Please try to explain as you work and not, you know, zone out."

 

"I do not zone out!" Undyne huffed.

 

"Yeah, right," Blue narrowed his sockets, "Stretch's told me plenty of stories you know."

 

"Fine, fine!" Undyne grumbled.

 

Red chuckled, probably to cover his nerves, "I'll make sure to hold you to that Fish lips," He said, "Besides, I got plenty of questions anyway."

 

Blue suspected Red was just putting up a front but at least if they could banter while Undyne worked it might keep him distracted and more importantly, calm.

 

Moving quickly down the hall he heard Red ask several questions, obviously trying to keep Undyne engaged. Her voice became excited and she began to ramble as Blue's mind turned towards Stretch. He hoped Undyne could keep Red distracted long enough that they could talk over his suspicions in peace.

 

And besides...he needed to talk to Stretch for his own reasons anyway.

 

***

 

The first slow creeping sense of awareness that returned to Stretch was a shiver. His ribs and spine felt exposed and chilly. He coiled into a tight ball in response. Now happily free from his nightmare, Stretch had been blissfully floating in unfeeling darkness for what felt like some time.

 

Unfortunately that seemed to be nearing an end as, along with the chill, the sounds of the lab fans bouncing off the echoing tiles began to invade his senses.

 

"Papyrus?" His name was being called in a familiar low whisper. The same whisper that sometimes stirred him from the couch after a 3 A.M. bender.

 

Stretch gave a muttering grumbly growl, his muzzle burrowing further into his fore leg. The awareness of his body combined with the sound of the familiar voice felt out of place together. They shouldn't coexist, some part of his sleep fogged brain tried to remind him.

 

But the rest of him just couldn't be bothered at the moment, his sockets clamping down and tail giving an agitated thump.

 

"Papyrus," The low whisper hissed, and Stretch felt his upper foreleg shaken none too gently, "I really need you to wake up lazybones, it's important!"

 

Snorting Stretch rolled over away from Sans' attempts to shake him awake, something he did every morning Sans tried to-

 

He paused, awareness finally beginning to crash over him.

  
Sans was here and he was in his blaster form. Which should never happen, except-

 

Mind finally catching up with him Stretch groaned. Right, he'd been in a fight with Red. A blaster monster from another universe, who was, possibly, another version of his brother, or so he had theorized based on Red's almost incoherent babbling.

 

He could be wrong of course, but either way it had been clear Red was a sentient monster at the least.

 

And during that fight his already stretched limits had been, well, he mentally chuckled, _stretched_ , until he'd unfortunately lost control of his magic and subsequently, his form. Sans and Undyne had chosen that moment to appear, and well...

 

Stretch sighed, blinking his sockets open and pawing sleepily at them, the cat was certainly out of the bag now.

 

Looking him over, Sans face was furrowed with concern, but he sighed in relief as Stretch yawned, lifting his head, _< I'm awake bro.> _Stretch grumbled, even if Sans wouldn't be able to understand it. The little bit of normalcy felt comforting, though he was awfully chilly, had Undyne turned the A/C on full blast again?

 

Stretch looked down, the last dregs of sleepiness quickly melting as he realized, _'Where's my hoodie?!'_ He still had his shorts, thank the stars, but his favorite hoodie was nowhere to be found; he glanced around the lab room, realizing that it was just him and Sans.

 

Red was nowhere to be seen.

 

"Red has it," Sans said, guessing at what Stretch was looking for. He suppressed a chuckle as Stretch grumbled, obviously unhappy with this information, "I'm sure he'll give it back, he just...," Sans cheekbones dusted slightly blue, "Didn't want to go out there naked."

 

_'Naked?'_ The thought perplexed Stretch a moment, why would Red be concerned about being naked, he was a- Oh. He'd changed back then. Well at least Red had left him his shorts.

 

Catching his attention Sans said, "If you could- Can you please transform, we-we really need to talk."

 

They certainly did, Stretch huffed, he was not looking forward to this conversation at all. In part because some small part of his mind knew he was about to get his comeuppance. He wasn't blind. He'd always known, if distantly, that eventually everything would come caving in. That Sans would catch him in some lie sooner or later.

 

Of course that had been easy enough to ignore when everything had started resetting but once that stopped and as the months had gone on with no sign of it happening again...well... He'd known it was probably a matter of time. Of course the resets could've always started back up again.

 

He suppressed a shudder at the thought, but also frowned as some part of him almost wanted it to happen. After all it's much easier to keep all those little lies going when no one remembers anything, right?

 

_'Stars, I'm so fucked up,'_ Stretch sighed, he should be dancing for joy that the resets seemed to be over, he should be trying to stop them from ever happening again so he'd never have to see a dust coated scarf and a laughing human.

 

Instead here he was almost wishing it would happen.

 

He felt sick.

 

"Papyrus?" Sans put a hand on his forepaw, gentle, encouraging, comforting. Sans didn't even know about any of that crap and here he was, Stretch berated himself, wishing things would reset.

 

_'Might as well get this over with.'_

 

Sighing Stretch reached out with his muzzle, nudging Sans insistently in the shoulder, _< Turn around...>_ he said, _< I don't want you to see.>_

 

Though Sans couldn't understand his growling, he apparently did understand the insistent nudging. Stretch watched him move a few paces away before turning around. Staring at that blue clad back Stretch sighed, _'When did he get so big?'_

 

Taking a deep breath he held it, then let it out slowly, the tension in his bones settled to a resigned acceptance. He'd always been good at just giving up, hadn't he? Stretch felt out his magic, finding that deeply rooted trigger in his soul. Mentally he gave it a gentle nudge causing his soul to vibrate slightly.

 

A feeling of static washed outward from his core down the lines of magic that held him together. It didn't hurt really, it was like a limb falling asleep only it was his entire body. While everything was dull and detached he shut his sockets. The sound of snaps and cracks reached his hearing as his bones began to realign themselves.

 

He'd forced himself to observe the process only once. He shuddered remembering the feeling of panic that had caused at the time. Now he preferred to just keep his eyes closed.

 

Since he wasn't fighting this change, unlike he'd previously been in Waterfall, the whole process took less than a minute. The numbness faded out and was replaced by marrow deep aches signaling it was safe for him to open his sockets.

 

Sitting up, Stretch rubbed the back of his neck, he flexed his shoulders letting everything settle into place and sighed, lamenting the now hole in his shorts where his tail had ripped through. Still he was glad to still have them, unlike his _hoodie_ which Red had apparently made off with.

 

Clearing his voice to get the last bit of growl from it Stretch asked, "So where's Red?"

 

Sans turned quickly, relief clear in his blue eye-lights. He surged forward catching Stretch by surprise as he wrapped him in a near bone crushing hug. The force made the ache in his bones flare but right now Stretch had to admit it was the most pleasant sensation in the world.

 

"He's out there with Undyne," Sans muttered from where he was practically buried in Stretch's collar bone.

 

Pulling back, Sans looked Stretch in the eye-lights, his face began to twist slightly.

 

Stretch blinked, "Bro-?" And was cut off by a solid punch to his sternum, Sans looking more enraged then Stretch thought he'd ever seen him before.

 

"That's for lying to me for years and treating me like a _child_ Papyrus! And I don't care what you say, this ends _now_! _**All**_ of it!," Sans snarled, "All the lies, everything! You _will_ be honest with me so I can _**help**_ you when you stars well _damned_ _need_ it! And you will _**STOP**_ trying to dictate what I can or cannot do with my life or so help me a punch is going to be the least of your problems!"

 

Coughing Stretch blinked back tears from his sockets. When had Sans learned to punch like that? Worse, he had definitely been holding back; Stretch could tell. Had he really been paying so little attention as to not realize how strong Sans had become? "I'm not," He coughed again, "Trying to dictate your life." It was a weak defense and he knew it and from the taught expression on Sans' face so did his brother.

 

"Pardon the fact that I'm cursing again but _bullshit_ ," Sans glared, "I know you made Alphys promise not to graduate me from training brother."

 

Panic flashed across Stretch's face, quickly to be subdued by anger, "She told you."

 

"No," Sans shook his head with a sigh, "She never said a word, I found out by accident, while I was cleaning the guard station for her. It was in some old letters you'd written to her that she had filed away."

 

"Shit," Stretch hissed, he knew he should've kept his conversations with Alphys on the matter off paper but he'd wanted something in writing. Something to prove she couldn't just pretend to forget their deal. Some kind of hard evidence.

 

But the fact that Sans had accidentally found the letters just made this whole thing worse, "H-how long?" He had to know, maybe this was recent. Maybe he could spin it that it was a newer event, maybe-

 

"Several months," Sans's sighed, his face falling, "I've known for several months."

 

"You...didn't say anything?" Stretch blinked, shocked that Sans had just...kept pretending...

 

"Of course I didn't say anything Papyrus!" Sans snapped, "What was I supposed to say? We'd already had a big fight about you treating me like a child before and that ended miserably. I didn't-" Sighing he rubbed at his nasal ridge, "I didn't want to fight with you again. For all the good it did me since we've been fighting this whole time but I thought..." His eye-lights fell, "I thought I could just prove it to you. Show you that I'm ready to do this. That I've been ready. That I'm not some little kid playing pretend."

 

Stretch felt like his soul was breaking, "...I j-just....w-what if you die? That one time, in...in practice...you came back with a broken rib...and I-"

 

"Is that what started this?" Sans blinked in disbelief, "That was years ago! And you make it sound like I snapped it clean off! It was a tiny _fracture_ Papyrus, it healed in less then a week!"

 

"I-I know..." Stretch rubbed at his face with one hand, the other groping for his missing hoodie's pocket before falling with a twitch on the cot, "I just...I realized you could die." And then the resets had started happening of course and that had just made the situation twenty times worse. Of course by then he'd already made his deal with Alphys.

 

A deal he somewhat suspected she'd granted out of pity for his open fear of losing his only remaining family. She'd probably been hoping he'd let up at some point; just like Sans apparently.

 

He was disgusting, wasn't he?

 

Sans pulled himself up on the cot next to him. He leaned over, one arm pulling Stretch into a close hug. He rested his skull on Stretch's shoulder, "I can't...I can't say that could never happen," He said softly, firm conviction filling his voice, "But even so, I...I want to do something for others. I've always felt that way. Like I have to," He looked up at Stretch, "I wish I could tell you it won't ever happen. That you have nothing to fear, but I...I can't..."

 

No of course he couldn't, Stretch realized. And of course he felt compelled to help others, it was Sans' basic nature! How many times over the years before his death had Sans made lunches for him and Gaster? And for some of that he'd been a real child, not an adult.

 

Now he was an adult and yet, and yet Stretch still really, really wanted him to be a child didn't he? _'I don't want to lose him...'_ His mind whispered. Of course he didn't want to lose him! He'd lost their father already, who no one, not even Sans, remembered!

 

_'I almost lost him anyway,'_ Stretch's hands shook with realization. During the rockfall Sans could've easily been crushed, or when Red, while out of his mind, had thrown his little brother in Waterfall. He could've easily...

 

If he hadn't been so stupid! If he'd just told Sans his suspicions instead of ditching him in Hotland! If he'd just, just stopped for five minutes! Hell if he'd come to Sans years ago about his own fucking accident! Maybe...maybe....

 

"Stars," Stretch fought down a sniffle, "I really fucked this whole big brother thing up didn't I?"

 

"I wouldn't say that," Sans said, hugging him tighter, "I think you did a pretty great job actually," He pulled back, staring his brother square in the eye sockets, "It's not that I don't expect you to worry, I worry about _you_ all the time!" He did? Stretch blinked. "I want you to help me Papyrus," Sans continued, "You're my brother for stars sake! But...please," His face hardened, dead serious, "Don't hinder me like you did in Hotland or back at the shed okay? Just...just work with me, not against me. And trust me! Tell me when something's wrong like..." He gestured helplessly, faltering in his description.

 

"Like when I'm about to undergoing a _bone_ shattering transformation-"

 

"Did you just-"

 

"Though _tibia_ honest, I thought all the heroes in your stories had like, tragic dark secrets."

 

Fighting down laughter Sans punched Stretch, lightly this time, in the shoulder, "Stoooop, between you and Red I'm going to die here!"

 

"Does our guest share my _punny_ sense of humor?" Stretch winked.

 

"Stars yes and it's terrible!" Sans cried, flinging his head into his hands.

 

"You're laughing," Stretch couldn't help pointing out with a chuckle.

 

"I know and I hate it!"

 

Scooping Sans into a bone crushing hug of his own Stretch sighed, "I can't...I can't promise I won't ever...you know..fuck up, but I..." He paused, taking a deep breath, "I'll try Sans. I'll try...to work with you."

 

"That's all I want," Sans said, smiling into the hug, "That's all I've ever wanted."

 

Stretch nodded, "Now," He sniffled slightly, pulling his emotions back on to even footing, "About Red having my hoodie?"

 

"Red's actually what I came in here to talk to you about," Sans glanced at the open doorway, his voice lowering, "So Red is apparently a version of me...from another universe? Undyne had explained it to me last night, but until I saw him this morning it was...okay it still is...a pretty weird concept to me."

 

"I...kinda made an educated guess on that," Stretch admitted, glad to have his theory confirmed.

 

"Right, so...Red and I...well more like Red and I'm just going with it...decided that to avoid confusion we're calling me Blue and Undyne and Red seem to be calling you Stretch. Her old nickname for you." Sa- **Blue** sighed, "And unfortunately unlike you, Red's skeleton form seems to be temporary currently. So right now while Red's out there getting some further samples taken by Undyne and a few more tests run I realized something...," He trailed off, pausing to stare at Stretch.

 

"Go on," Stretch encouraged as Blue faltered, "What is it?"

 

"Okay, this...is probably going to sound crazy but you remember Alphys prisoner?" Blue waited for Stretch to nod before continuing, eye-lights again darting to the doorway, "I think...I think he's Red's brother...his Papyrus... I think-" Sans paused, taking in the stunned and then guilty expression on Stretch's face, "You knew."

 

"Y-yeah," Stretch reluctantly admitted, "I uh...I mean I didn't know for sure Red was a Sans, like I said, that was a guess, I could've been completely off with that one, but that Fell was a Papyrus, yeah I knew that."

 

"Papyrus," Blue raised an eye ridge, "How did you know?"

 

"Look don't get too angry with me okay, but I sorta....snuck into Alphys detention center..."

 

"Why?!" Blue demanded loudly before catching himself and much quieter repeating, "Why?" He openly glared at Stretch, reeling that his brother had broken the law, "And when did _THIS_ happen?"

 

"The uh...the night after I left you in Hotland," Stretch chuckled nervously.

 

"You mean when you freaked out?" Resting his chin on his hand Blue once again felt the picture he'd only had pieces of before beginning to take shape, "The sound Red made...it upset you because it sounded like you when you transform, didn't it?"

 

"Y-yeah," Stretch nodded, shame coloring his cheekbones, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't...I shouldn't have left you behind..."

 

"No you shouldn't have, but we've talked about that already," Blue said, urging Stretch to move on, "So what happened after you left me?"

 

Stretch leaned back, the ache in his bones making him feel sluggish and tired, "I came here to check with Undyne and to have her try to see if she could confirm it was what I thought it was. I...I checked on my old notes...the ones that well, caused this to happen to me. I wanted to see if they had been disturbed," Blue nodded, urging him to continue, "They hadn't, but I remembered our conversation from the kitchen...the things that Fell said to you...and...well..."

 

"You suspected he was from another universe," Blue finished, "So you followed up on it to see if you were correct."

 

Stretch nodded, "And I was. Fell is under the impression that his brother is back in their universe at deaths door and the scientist involved," Stretch avoided saying Gaster's name. Even if it was a Gaster from another universe he had a sneaking suspicion Blue wouldn't be able to hold on to the name; no one ever did, "Seems to have him believing that the experiment recently conducted on Red is the only thing that might save him."

 

"But," Blue picked at the narrative thread, "Only if Red can be brought back so he can gather the data from him, right?"

 

Stretch nodded, "You know I'm surprised you figured out who Fell might be on your own, I mean, you talked to him for even less time than I did."

 

Chuckling Blue broke out in a smug grin, "Papyrus, I'm in training to be a royal guard. Observation, memorization and recitation are key abilities of any good guardsman."

 

As much as some part of Stretch still hated to admit that Blue had grown up under his nose and that he was a very capable guardsman, and as much as one tiny part of him kept trying to remind him of Blue's trusting nature with the human pest, he couldn't help the overwhelming sense of pride he felt in that moment.

 

Grabbing hold of Blue again he wrapped him in another hug.

 

His little brother was pretty cool.

 


	14. Chapter 14

"So on a more serious note," Blue said, pulling away from Stretch's hug, "With Fell loose somewhere in the Underground it's not like we can just find him to say, 'Hey Red's really your brother'-"

 

"If he'd even believe us," Stretch snorted.

 

"Right," Blue sighed, this would've been so much simpler if Fell hadn't escaped, "And while I'd like it if the Captain caught him we really need to consider the possibility that Fell is going to show up on our doorstep unannounced-"

 

"And probably murderous," Stretch said.

 

Blue rolled his eye-lights, "Yes probably murderous. My point is how are we going to break this to Red?"

 

"Why should we," Stretch said, eye-lights shifting to the open doorway, "I mean, yeah if or when Fell shows up here the _skeleton_ will be out of the closet," He ignored Blue's groan of protest with a chuckle, "But until then, who says we have to tell Red anything. And before you argue with me Sans," Stretch said, holding up his hands, "Think about it, if Red is anything like you do you really think he's just going to wait around here while his brother is out there somewhere?"

 

Blue hummed softly, "Really Red reminds me more of you than me. And not just because of the stars awful puns either," He said with an exasperated sigh causing Stretch to raise an eye ridge, "But," Blue continued, "I do see your point. If it was either of us and the other was out there somewhere we wouldn't want to sit around either."

 

"Exactly," Stretch said, "And with Red's form being unstable currently, even if he found Fell it's unlikely he'd be able to prove his identity in time. I get the impression Fell's an, attack first, sort it out later type."

 

"Yeah," Blue sighed, "Red probably wouldn't even defend himself if-"

 

"Damn you two really don't know shit about me," Red growled, looking around the door frame at them with a glare, "Don't presume I wouldn't beat my brother's ass if I had to. Dust him no," He said moving into the room with them while carefully trying not to get his fingers caught in the stolen hoodie sleeves, "Kick the shit out of him, sure. I know my brother's limits after all."

 

"Uh," Blue blanched, "H-how long were you out there?"

 

"Almost the entire time Blueberry, it's not like Undyne's tests took that long and you've been back here for a good while. I told her I was just gonna take a nap, which believe me, I plan to, but it's not like you were that subtle when you left. I knew you were up to something. Just didn't realize it would be talking about Papyr-...Fell I mean."

 

"What did you think it was about," Stretch asked curiously.

 

Red didn't answer, just glanced between Stretch and Blue before focusing on a spot behind them, "It's not important..."

 

"Okay," Stretch said with a sigh, "Can I at least have my damned hoodie back?"

 

With a snort Red began to pull it over his head, "Fine so long as you don't mind me being nake-"

 

"No!" Blue yelped.

 

Red paused then let the orange fabric fall back down over his frame.

 

Blue's face was completely flushed the color of his nickname all the way down to his neck. He cleared his non existent throat trying to get the squeak out of his voice, "I-I'm sure you can do without your hoodie for now," He looked at Stretch pleadingly, "At least," Blue continued, "Until you can get back to the house for a change of clothes for you and Red? Right Stretch?"

 

"Don't put yourselves out on my account," Red snorted before Stretch could answer, "My meds ain't gonna be ready for awhile and besides," He sighed, "I'm exhausted, can't keep up this form for too much longer before I'm forced back anyway."

 

"Oh, right," Blue said, "But you should still be comfortable!"

 

Red blinked in surprise, "I'm not uncomfortable?"

 

"Are you kidding?!" Blue grumbled, "It's freezing in here! I know Undyne doesn't like the heat but she doesn't need to keep the Air conditioner _THIS_ high! No," Blue stood up, determined not to let Red be cold, or Stretch for that matter, and for no other reason at all, certainly not, "I'll just go tell her to turn it down."

 

"Whoa hold up there blueberry," Red chuckled, "Wouldn't interrupt your fish lips just yet. She's eyeballs deep in analyzing those samples she got from me and if she's anything like the scientists I know, interruptions ain't welcome. Super nerds and their numbers, I swear."

 

"That's true," Stretch agreed, "Undyne does tend to block out the world when she's in project mode. Though, that does sometimes give the best opportunities to prank her-"

 

"Papyrus!" Blue yelled, "Do. Not. Prank. Undyne! She's trying to help Red! Besides we have more important things to focus on," He paused catching a slight gleam in Red's eye-lights, "And _YOU_ don't prank her either!"

 

Red's hands shot up innocently, "Alright, geez, calm down."

 

"Fine, fine," Stretch agreed as well, lazily waving a hand, "Though at the very least Red can I have my cigarettes back, they should be in my hoodie pocket."

 

"I didn't find any smokes in here," Red said, turning the pockets inside out, just to be sure, "Woulda lit up if I could've."

 

"Damn they probably fell out during the-" Stretch paused, looking at Red nervously.

 

"The fight," Red rolled his eyes, "Seriously you can say that we fought, I'm not like, gonna go cry in a fucking corner or some shit just cuz someone fucked with my head."

 

"Ugh the swearing again!" Blue grumbled, he looked over at Red sternly, "I'm keeping a tally. You're broke now but you won't always be!"

 

Red doubled over in laughter and even Stretch chuckled at his brothers declaration.

 

"Back on topic then," Stretch said fighting back his laughter, "Since you heard what we were talking about Red, what exactly are you planning to do?"

 

For a long moment Red paused, his eye-lights drifting to the cold tile floor. A bead of sweat ran down his temple but his expression otherwise remained unreadable, "I...," He finally whispered, "...I don't know."

 

He shook his head seeming to disagree with his own statement, "No that's not it," Red sighed, "Showing myself to Fell without a plan is a sure fire way to get my ass knocked out and dragged back to Gaster like a prized hog, so fuck that. Besides once Gaster's got his greasy mitts on me he'd either have to tell Fell I died while he was hunting me down or fuck he might just use Fell as a test subject. Not exactly rosy options."

 

"...Who's Gaster?" Blue blinked, looking between Stretch and Red.

 

"Wh- For fucks sake I told you already," Red snarled, "He's the royal scientist in my universe!"

 

"...He is?" Blue said, "I..." He scratched the back of his skull, his face getting that strange expression Red had seen on it earlier, "I-I'm sorry, I don't remember you telling me his name. That's...really weird actually."

 

"Anyway," Stretch interrupted, "What exactly is your royal scientist after? I mean I performed this experiment in an attempt to hopefully break the barrier; is it the same for him?"

 

"No," Red said, casting a suspicious look at Stretch for changing the topic, "He certainly claimed that's what it was for during some of my...um..." He looked between them, searching for something before making up his mind, "...Memory lapses... from the drugs. I forgot about why I was there. He fed me some bullshit line about breaking the barrier, but his notes were pretty damned fucking clear he was just doing this because he could."

 

Blue swallowed, "That ca- you're sure that's- maybe-"

 

"There isn't any other reason," Red shook his head sadly, "Look blueberry, I'd love to say it was just because my worlds not like yours but...sometimes bad assholes like him just do bad shit. No reason behind it. No higher fucking calling or anything. He's one of the toughest monsters in my whole universes underground but he doesn't want to usurp the king or even dominate anyone else. He just wants to come up with new theories and test them out on monsters like the whole damned place is just a breeding ground for lab rats. That's it."

 

Blue opened his mouth to respond, to deny it, to say there had to be a reason. No thief he'd ever met in guard training had been one because they wanted to be, not deep down. He stopped though; quickly realizing his own inexperience. Red's world was harsh and while Blue hadn't met any monsters like that in his world he couldn't deny that they could exist.

 

Alphys, he reasoned, probably had met them though.

 

The loss of her eye hadn't been from a human after all and that was all she would say about it when asked.

 

"Sometimes," Stretch sighed, "A theory should stay a theory."

 

"What?" Blue blinked.

 

"It's nothing," Stretch shook his head, "Just something....someone...told me once."

 

"...Okay," Red fidgeted before seeming to come to a decision with a sigh, "Look I'm exhausted. I can't keep this shit up for much longer anyway so fuck it," He pulled Stretch's hoodie off, snorting at Blue's flushed face as he quickly averted his eyes from Red. Focusing back on Stretch, Red continued, "Let's brainstorm ideas on this shit after I've had a nap. This worlds your turf and I'm gonna be shit at navigating it anyway."

 

Without waiting for an answer Red tossed the hoodie to Stretch. Already the first snaps and pops of bone were coming from him as he began to change. Stretch had intended to look away, after all he'd watched himself transform once and the experience had nearly made him puke from panic but seeing it from a completely outside perspective had the scientist in him fascinated.

 

Though he shuddered at the particular memory that thought invoked. Back when he'd still been new to the whole experience; back when he'd felt like a bug in a jar under Undyne and Gaster's careful observation.

 

When it was over Red looked thoroughly embarrassed at having been observed, and Blue smacked Stretch's arm grumbling about being impolite to their guest.

 

"Sorry," Stretch coughed, cheeks blazing yellow orange, "Never seen it from the outside before."

 

_< Whatever,>_ Red growled, climbing onto the opposite cot. He curled into a ball, back facing the brothers, though Blue noticed there was a tension in his spine that spoke of anything but relaxation.

 

With a nod to himself Blue stood up, grabbed Stretch's arm and led them both from the room, "Good night," He said to Red before clicking the light off. He still left the door open though, hoping it would keep Red from feeling trapped.

 

He was a guest after all, not a prisoner.

 

As they walked down the hall, Stretch grumbled about this being his favorite hoodie as he fought to put it back on. Between Stretch's change the other night and Red's probably none too gentle attempts to get it off him this morning so he could use it, the garment had seen better days.

 

Blue gave an agitated huff, "It's not like you don't have an entire closet full of ones that look just like it."

 

"....This one was special," Stretch muttered, "It was the oldest one I have..." He looked down at the extremely worn fabric.

 

"The one you hide to keep me from washing it?" Blue said.

 

Stretch blinked, "You knew about that too?" He grumbled, "Is there anything you don't know!"

 

Laughing Blue couldn't resist striking a little bit of a pose, "There's very little the sansational Sans does not know," He gave a more sober chuckle though as he said, "Though there's a lot I still haven't figured out yet."

 

"Like?" Stretch asked, curious what Blue might be referring to.

 

"Oh Undyne, look who's up," Blue smiled widely as they entered the main lab room.

 

Looking up from her clipboard Undyne looked Stretch up and down quickly before jumping out of her chair. She grabbed his arm and pulled him into the seat Red had previously been using before pulling out her monitor device again. Blue settled himself back on the long couch to watch.

 

"Ugh, seriously Undyne," Stretch grumbled, "I'm fine. You don't have to do this every-"

 

"Shut up bone head," She snapped, tweaking a nob on the device. It hummed to life as she held it towards Stretch. She lowered and raised it over him, humming at the numbers displayed and tapping a finger to her pursed mouth, "Still a little on the iffy side," She sighed, "Normally I'd tell you to get a few days of bed rest, but with things as they are..."

 

"Yeah escaped prisoners don't exactly jive with the whole ' _staycation_ ' thing," Stretch chuckled, "No worries, Blue filled me in about our little situation."

 

Undyne blinked, slightly confused before remembering, "Oh yeah the nicknames. Right." She grabbed a few of her other instruments, "I'll need to take some samples from you."

 

"For a control to compare to Red?" Stretch said, "Go ahead."

 

"I wish I could say it was a perfect control," Undyne sighed, "But Red's mutation is very...difficult. Still I'll take what I can get."

 

"So...ummm," Blue interrupted, "Have you had any thoughts on how to deal with the escaped prisoner Undyne? I mean this is your lab. If anyone knows this place best it's you and Stretch."

 

"I would...rather let Alphys handle it," Undyne said, drawing a marrow sample from Stretch, "She's the guard Captain after all. I mean I'll help, give input but...this kinda thing isn't really...ummm something I'm good at."

 

Flinching a little from the extraction Stretch said, "I know you're not big on fighting Undyne but that's not really an option. The situation with Fell is...complicated."

 

"Of course it is," Undyne snapped, her tone as sharp as her teeth, "Fine then, why do we need to handle it when last I checked Alphys job is to round up criminals?"

 

Blue looked to Stretch to explain but his brother's eye-lights were fixed firmly on the wall away from Undyne, a single bead of sweat breaking out at his temple. Blue sighed, "Well you see..."

 

Bye the end of Blue's explanation Undyne was sure of one thing. If she ever saw another skeleton in her lab after this whole debacle it would be too damned soon.

 

***

 

"I jus' can' believe the cap'n!" A slurring voice rose in volume above the general chatter of the bar. It was followed quickly with a chorus of similarly sloshed shushes. This caused the first voice to bark out a, "Don' shush me!"

 

Fell paused, his knife resting on the wood he'd been whittling. He held himself completely still, his hearing focused on the window above him. The sound of several chairs scraping across the floor followed by an irate waitress's voice rose above the ranting drunk.

 

Her stern explanation that they were ' _cut_ _off_ ' left many of the drunken voices grumbling followed by a dispute over the total when it was given to them. Finally though they seemed to reach an agreement with the waitress and the sound of a pouch of coin hitting the table reached Fell.

 

He quickly pocketed his carving and slipped the knife back into his boot. Standing he leaned against the building, his head slightly out of the alley in order to get a better view of the front door.

 

Several moments passed and Fell controlled the flare of his nerves with practiced patience. Forcing himself to remain still and hidden as he waited for what felt like an eternity but really was maybe only a minute.

 

Three clearly drunk guards emerged from the bar; one was a rabbit being propped up between his only slightly less drunk fellows. They grumbled about being ' _not that drunk_ ' as they stumbled down the street.

 

Fell definitely disagreed with their assessment as he began to tail them.

 

"I meeaan," The completely sloshed rabbit began, his voice marking him as the loud one he'd heard under the window, "She juss' agress to let it go?! Like that!" He snarled, "We've been lookin' for it for a week!"

 

"I know Coney," Sighed the stumbling lizard holding him up on the left, "Jusst batss her eyelashess and bam, captain jus goes along with lettin it loose."

 

Fell's soul gave a thrilled pulse as he followed. They had to be talking about the experiment. But who had Captain Alphys given it to? _'Come on you drunken idiots I don't have all evening.'_

 

The three continued to rant going over the events of the past week that they had been hunting down the feral monster. The night searches, since it never came out during the day, that had resulted in empty paws and frustrated grumbling.

 

How they'd all been reprimanded, even though these particular guards hadn't been responsible, when the beast had gotten away into the Hotland tunnels, even though a prisoner had been brought in! To their mind that just wasn't fair.

 

Fell rolled his eye-lights at their grumbling, what selfish assholes, of course they were as responsible as the guards that had caught him by chance. They were part of the guard, a unit, a team. He felt a bit of pity for Alphys if this was the quality of soldier she had to work with.

 

These three numbskulls were lucky this universe was peaceful!

 

"Undyne jus' does what she wantss cuz she'ss the royal sscientist," The dog guard on the right slurred. Fell stumbled at hearing Undyne's name but recovered quickly. If she was the royal scientist here where was Gaster? He frowned; the thought of his ruthless mentor being a scientist just didn't sit right.

 

What would this Undyne even be like? Malicious? Cunning and cruel like Gaster back home? No that felt wrong for a universe like Underswap. This news was as unnerving as seeing that version of himself the other night had been.

 

"Feral sshoulda been locked up! Not-Not brought to her lab!" The dog continued, belching loudly. Fell sneered in disgust at the drunken display.

 

"At leasst," The dog guard growled, "It's in Hotland now and not runnin' round here in our jurist-jurissssdiction."

 

_'Hotland, so the lab in this universe is in Hotland just like back home. Hmmm,'_ Fell thought, _'I wonder if the layout is the same.'_

 

"Yeah," Huffed the rabbit called Coney, "At leassst until it blowss the lab up anyway! I'm jussst glad we didn't get pick-picked for the sshift change there tomorrow morning!" The three paused in their walk, doubling over in laughter.

 

"Poor Drake!" The dog barked, "He hates waking up at first light!"

 

"Nah that'sss you," The lizard wheezed, wiping at his tearing eyes.

 

"I know!" The dog giggled drunkenly, "And I don't have to!

 

"Tha' poor contingent," The lizard said, breaking out into a slobbering cackle, "Gatherin' an' marching all the way to Hotland at the crack of dawn!"

 

Fell diverted his path at that point, walking down a side street as the three guards continued to laugh uncontrollably about the fate of their poor comrades who had been given an early shift. He felt dirty, disgusted that this was the standard of guard in Underswap.

 

He even felt another pang of sympathy for Alphys. She at least seemed to take things seriously, the rest of these idiots were so used to peace they wouldn't know how to behave like proper guards if they tried. Of course he couldn't help that he'd never needed much sleep to begin with but even Undyne never complained about an early morning!

 

Undyne.

 

Fell sighed before squelching the unfamiliar feeling rising in his soul. ' _I am not homesick._ ' He sternly reminded himself. He couldn't afford to be nostalgic now, not if he would have to see a version of his mentor.

 

Especially if he had to kill a version of his mentor.

 

_'It won't come to that,'_ He nodded to himself. Reminding himself of Underswap's more peaceful nature. He'd probably just have to threaten her, maybe break a finger or two.

 

_'Are you certain?'_ That insidious voice inside him chimed in. Fell beat it down with a flare of outrage. He wouldn't even consider another possibility, even if, his training reminded him, he really should.

 

He paused inside a darkened doorway. Above him the sounds of monsters turning in for the night carried down. The cavern lights above just starting to dim for their ' _night_ ' cycle. They sounded....happy. Had he and Sans ever sounded like that? Fell genuinely thought so but it had been so long ago.

 

_'Stay focused,'_ Fell reminded himself, _'The lab is in Hotland so how do I get to it.'_ If it had been Underfell it would've been easy, but as his prior attempt had proven the layout of the Underswaps Underground was annoyingly different.

 

The fastest way would be to ask a native for directions. Something that should be easy enough considering he'd walked around the entire day with just his hood pulled up and no one had looked at him twice.

 

He'd have to be careful though. If Alphys decided to release the information about his scar tomorrow to try and flush him out or if a native got suspicious that he, a grown monster, didn't know the way to the Hotland labs well... Scar information or no his request could be suspicious enough to report to the guard.

 

Fell would rather they not know he was coming.

 

Of course, even if releasing the information about his scar was something _he'd_ do if he were in Alphys shoes after a day or two, it was possible she wouldn't. She might keep it under wraps and only ask if someone reported a ' _suspicious monster_ ' to her.

 

Would it be worth the risk to just openly ask for directions then?

 

_'Wait..,'_ Fell shot up, _'A shift change at the lab... tomorrow morning.'_

 

A smile curled his mouth as the cavern lights darkened for the night.

 


	15. Chapter 15

"So what exactly do you propose we do?" Undyne sighed. She quickly sipped her mug of fresh coffee and paused, blinking hard as the taste hit her tongue. She couldn't remember the last time her coffee had tasted so good.

 

There was none of that bitter aftertaste of burned grounds that she's come to accept as normal. She took another, slower sip, savoring the flavor of the coffee. In her peripheral vision Blue was fighting unsuccessfully to suppress a smug grin from his seat on the couch.

 

"Fine," She huffed, "You win."

 

Grin stretching wide Blue couldn't resist rubbing it in a little, "I told you it was the pot." He said, while Stretch chuckled.

 

She never should have let Blue clean the coffee maker. But they all had needed a break after Blue's explanation of the current situation. Undyne had simply sat, adjusting and taking in all the information, while Stretch had quietly answered any of her questions.

 

For his part Stretch seemed tired despite the extremely long nap. She'd known that was to be expected though as his mutation put a lot of strain on him at times. In fact he was vulnerable for another flare up if he wasn't careful.

 

She'd have to keep him on a low level dose of his medication so as not to completely incapacitate him but hopefully lower the risk until he recovered. It was just too bad she couldn't put him on forced bed rest considering the Fell situation; something she would've normally done.

 

Still, she planned to keep him as immobile as possible, not that it should prove too difficult, this was Stretch after all.

 

Apparently Blue though, his way to ' _relax_ ' was to clean and since she really didn't want him accidentally messing with any of her experiments Undyne had agreed to let him clean the coffee maker. Now she almost wished she hadn't considering the smug look on his face. Good tasting coffee be damned.

 

"So," She grumbled, trying to pull the conversation back on topic, "As I said, what exactly do either of you propose we do?"

 

Rubbing at the back of his neck Stretch's eye-lights drifted up to the ceiling, his fingers were wrapped around a lighter, though it was one of Undyne's, his presumably having been lost at some point.

 

...Along with his cigarettes apparently, she had also noticed.

 

He flicked the flame off and on in thought, thumbing over the plastic in circles.

 

_'Probably dying for a smoke,'_ Undyne thought with a pang of sympathy.

 

Smoking always had been Stretch's vice for overwhelming situations. Even when they were both working at the lab. He'd been yelled at so many times for smoking inside the building during their internship and beyond.

 

"Well," Blue sighed, "I think our best plan is to explain the situation with Fell to Captain Alphys. Then when the guard catches him, either here or somewhere in New Home. We could just bring Red to him whenever he's able to shift."

 

"I'm not sure telling Alphys is a good idea," Stretch said, "I mean there's an awful lot we'd have to leave out in case it led to....uncomfortable questions. And that only helps if Alphys even catches Fell anyway. I'm concerned his original capture was a fluke."

 

"C-c'mon," Undyne stuttered nervously, "This is-is Alphys we're talking about! Head of, head of the royal guard! If anyone can catch Red's brother then-"

 

"Look I know you have the hots for her," Stretch interrupted, ignoring Undyne's embarrassed screech as he continued, "And as much as I hope, regardless of what we do or don't tell her, that she catches him, Fell did break out of her detention center and I don't think that's ever happened before."

 

Thinking over the various records he had filed over the years, Blue nodded, "You have a point. There's been a close call or two, but never a clean get away. Not like this at any rate," He sighed, "So we should at least plan for the possibility that she won't catch him before he gets here."

 

Cheeks still burning Undyne grumbled, "Fine. I suppose we could have the guards stationed outside at least set up some non lethal traps."

 

"A good start," Stretch agreed with a nod, "We should set up a few surprises inside though and Blue and I should take shifts watching over the lab."

 

"Hold on," Undyne shook her head, "I'm not sure that's a good idea. Your in a pretty vulnerable state right now."

 

"How so?" Blue said as Stretch glared daggers at Undyne.

 

"Well," Undyne said, "After a flare up his magic is...sensitive...too much strain could induce a relapse."

 

"But what choice do we have," Stretch argued, "If Fell shows up here you're not the best fighter and Blue-"

 

"Can hold my own," Blue interrupted firmly a faintly bitter tone coloring his voice, "Besides Captain Alphys can always assign me another guard partner for inside the lab."

 

"It's not that I- that I think you couldn't hold your own bro," Stretch sighed, "It's just," He rubbed at his sternum, probably still feeling some residual aches Undyne noted, "...I really prefer that you have backup and I'd rather it not be another guardsman unless you want to do a hell of a lot of explaining if I- I mean when Fell shows up. As it is, like I said, I'd rather not even tell Alphys and I trust her."

 

Undyne could tell Stretch did not like this at all. She watched them stare at each other, something silent passing between them before Blue seemed to cave a little.

 

"Okay," Blue reluctantly agreed with a sigh, "But I want you taking short shifts only! I will handle the bulk of the watch."

 

Stretch nodded, "That's fine. I promise I'll rest as much as possible."

 

"Guess having you teleport back to the house might be out of the question though," Blue sighed.

 

"Okay no, that I'm doing," Stretch grumbled, "And don't try to talk me out of it!" He growled, gesturing to his ripped hoodie and pants, "I'm not walking around like this for however long we're stuck here."

 

"Alright," Blue said, shaking his head, "But that's it, no shortcutting all over the place, got it? You want to go somewhere in here you walk."

 

"Got it," Stretch agreed, "I'm thinking though, how are we going to justify non lethal traps to Alphys anyway? I mean depending on the mess Fell left behind when he broke out-"

 

"He didn't kill anyone so I don't think it will be an issue." Blue said.

 

Stretch stared at Blue, "He what?"

 

"Blue's right," Undyne added, "Alphys reported that Fell didn't kill anyone when he escaped despite his prior threats to the contrary."

 

That was strange, Stretch thought, mulling over this new bit of information. From his brief conversation with Fell Stretch had thought for sure he'd be violent and ruthless, anything to achieve his goal. Wouldn't it have been easier for him to have just dusted everyone on his way out?

 

"Regardless though," Undyne sighed, "Even with you taking short shifts Stretch, I think we should bring another guard in here anyway...and I think we should tell Alphys. Maybe not everything," She added when he frowned, "But you have to admit this is bigger then just keeping your condition under wraps. More back up can't be a bad thing and I don't see how we can get around telling Alphys _something_ at this point."

 

"Fine," Stretch huffed, "We'll tell Alphys something and get an extra guard in here to help Blue. So who gets to break it to her?"

 

"I'll do it," Blue said after a brief pause. He turned to Stretch, "I'll still need you as back up though and I don't think it's necessary to mention...your issue. If it comes up just forget about that no shortcutting rule, how's that?"

 

"...I'll live," He sighed, clearly not liking this compromise one bit.

 

"I don't see why we need to keep dancing around it at this point," Undyne said, sipping her coffee again, "She's already seen Red and I had to make up a story about an ' _accident_ ' with a part time lab assistant in order to get her to let me bring him here. She already knows Red is a normal monster....well was a normal monster."

 

"......You told her he had an accident?" Stretch said, mind racing.

 

"Ye-yeah? So?"

 

"No, it's just. Since that's the case couldn't we move Red? Hear me out," Stretch said at the odd looks Blue and Undyne started giving him, "Alphys knows there was an accident that caused a lab assistant to change into a blaster and she doesn't know that I have the same...issue... and Fell doesn't know there's more then one of us here since the only people who do know are in this lab right now."

 

"So," Blue said, "If we move Red somewhere safer you can stay here in his place as bait!"

 

"Exactly! I don't look exactly like Red but Fell won't know that until he gets a good look at me."

 

"And by then," Undyne blinked, "We could have led him straight into a trap!"

 

"But couldn't we then...I dunno, leave Red here and just have you walk around the Underground as a blaster looking for him?"

 

Stretch shook his head, "I'd be worried about two things, one Alphys seeing me-"

 

"Of course that's your first concern," Undyne huffed.

 

Stretch rolled his eyes, "-And two Fell seeing me before I see him. He'll know I'm not the same blaster since Red and I have different builds and magic colors."

 

"Should we send Red to Snowdin then?" Blue said, "It is the furthest from New Home and if you teleport him there," He turned to Stretch, "Then there's no trail to follow."

 

"Not a physical one at any rate," Undyne agreed. She sighed though, "I'm not entirely on board with that. Yeah it gets Red out of my lab but his condition is still....iffy. I'd really rather keep him here."

 

"I know Undyne," Blue said, "But if we can catch Fell to explain things or at least somehow show him what's going on without Red being in immediate danger I think that would be best. Plus Stretch could bring you back and forth for check ups or Red can also teleport, he could come back himself?"

 

"Alright fine," Undyne relented.

 

"Speaking of Red's ability to teleport by the way," Stretch said, looking back toward the darkened hallway behind him, "I'm not sure he's going to go for this, so I have an idea."

 

***

 

Fell was nothing if not resourceful, something he'd learned directly from Sans while growing up. It was a required trait for Underfell and for all his faults Sans had been a master at it. Not had, Fell sternly reminded himself. _'He_ _ **IS**_ _masterfully resourceful.'_

 

He refused to think of his brother in past tense.

 

Having studied all of Sans' tricks to perfection and even inventing a few of his own, Fell had left quite the impression on Undyne during his first day of training. She always needed someone she could at least marginally trust and Fell's cunning had quickly caught her eye even back then. She hadn't just trained him to be her extension of the guard in Snowdin, but to be her spy as well.

 

Of course he had no doubt she had other spys in her employ, even ones that may have been watching him.

 

Trust really only went so far.

 

Fell had never minded though, it was something he'd accepted as part of his life as her subordinate. He had to admit he did enjoy the work. Fishing out secrets was like solving a challenging puzzle and the added bonus of a stable income hadn't been unwelcome either.

 

As part of his week long hunt for his quarry Fell had made sure to learn the layout of the city. Which didn't differ too greatly from Underfell for the most part. Though there seemed to be a lack of a slum that he could see.

 

Not that he'd found that change unwelcome.

 

He turned another corner on the darkened street, smelling his destination long before he ever saw it. It wreaked of leather, metal and chemicals as well as the ozone tang of heavy magic that seemed to hang over everything.

 

It was a squat building on the far side of New Home, next to a carved out space in the side of the cavern wall.

 

From inside the carved out area a fire had been banked low for the evening but during the day this place was alive with the sounds of ringing metal. Even with all the technology monster kind had developed over the years some things still required the personal touch of hands on manufacturing and maintenance.

 

Of course this place wasn't for maintaining big technological systems. For one it was way too small and for two things like the core would have a shop much closer if not on site. It also wasn't a tiny repair shop that worked on fixing every day things like coffee makers or TV's that were hauled up from the dump.

 

This shop was specifically for armor.

 

Royal guard armor to be exact.

 

Back in Underfell it had been a point of pride for Fell that he maintained and worked on his own armor instead of having it handled by the royal armorer. He'd always been wary of people messing with his things anyway and while some repairs were beyond even his considerable skill he could at least take care of most issues alone.

 

Underswap, being a much more open and trusting universe that didn't have to worry about someone bribing the armorer to fuck with your gear, had a repair shop specifically dedicated to the royal guard. Here they performed everything from standard maintenance to larger repairs a guard or sentry might need.

 

Carefully Fell maintained his distance for the moment. Due to the smell of the shop there was a wide street between it and the rest of the city proper. This also would help in case of an accident or fire since the distance would protect the other buildings in the area.

 

Unfortunately for Fell though this also meant there wasn't a convenient alley for him to approach the shops back door.

 

Pausing Fell strained his hearing for any sound of activity. From this distance the shop seemed closed up for the night. The lights in the windows were dark and there was no hint of movement from within or by the banked fire.

 

During the day, he remembered, not only was the smell of the shop intensified but the sound of metal being molded or beaten was almost constant. Thankfully nothing appeared to be coming from the shop currently though if there was a clerk doing the books they were probably about to get the surprise of their life.

 

He really hoped there wasn't a clerk in there.

 

Fell's other concern though was a guard patrol. Alphys had certainly stepped those up since his escape so it was likely his window of opportunity would be smaller and there was always the possibility of hidden eyes in the shadows.

 

Of course a spy didn't feel like Captain Alphys style to Fell. His impression of her was a lot more direct. Though, as he'd thought before, that could be a ruse. It wasn't like his own Captain didn't also come off to the casual observer as simply ruthless and brutal when she could be anything but.

 

Regardless, stepped up patrols or no, Alphys concluding he would break into an armor repair shop was next to nothing.

 

Most likely she'd expect him to want out of town as quickly as possible so the exits to the New Home cavern were probably being monitored. Fell wished he hadn't returned to New Home when he lost the guard group on their way to Waterfall.

 

It would've made things a lot easier if he'd just hung around Hotland, maybe he would've even caught them on their way back with the experiment. At least then he could've seen exactly where they were going!

 

Of course it had made sense at the time for him to go to ground in his hideout, after all he'd thought for sure the experiment would've been brought back to New Home as a dangerous threat needing to be contained.

 

But he couldn't deny he'd been acting rashly. Setting up a trap for the beast had seemed like a plan sure to give him quick results at the time but really he should've tailed it back to it's nest and waited for it to fall asleep before attempting to capture it.

 

It would've attracted a lot less attention and probably kept him out of jail for one thing.

 

His attention snapped to the sound of feet coming down the wide street in front of him. Fell quickly pressed himself into the shadow of the building he was resting against and watched as the patrol passed slowly but without pausing.

 

_'Focus,'_ He berated himself, now was not the time to get distracted with hindsight. That could wait for when the experiment was pinned down in Gaster's lab and Sans was safe.

 

He waited for several beats of his soul after the patrol was well out of earshot to finally make his move. Darting across the street he adopted a sort of natural rush as if he was on legitimate business. Were he to keep low or try to creep across any possibly prying eyes would mark that as suspicious but this way it made him seem like a shop worker that had forgotten something.

 

Or even perhaps a patron who was running considerably late.

 

The best way, as Undyne had drilled into him many times, to not be suspicious was to not act suspicious. Which was easier said then done of course and required a good amount of believable acting but there was a reason Fell was the best.

 

That he knew of anyway.

 

It was just too bad that this was a skill set he could never tell Sans about.

 

And oh how he'd wanted to. He had thought more then once that Sans would be exceedingly proud of him if he'd known what Fell was truly capable of. _'Or he could be horrified...'_ Fell frowned.

 

Once across the wide darkened street Fell paused at the doorway before walking around the side. He was again careful not to crouch or sneak as he moved. And in order to further reinforce the illusion that he was just a worker who'd forgotten something he began to dig a hand in his coat pocket as he rounded the corner of the building on the open cave side.

 

Since the building partially overlapped the open area he was now out of view of the street and opposite buildings and figured that if anyone had been watching they'd have lost interest since he hadn't actively appeared to be breaking in.

 

He did pause a moment though to ensure another patrol wasn't coming yet before opening Sans jacket and pulling a set of lock picks from an inner pocket where he'd stashed them. As he went to pull them out though his fingers brushed what felt like firm paper.

 

Fell pulled the object from the inner pocket along with his lockpicks and paused.

 

It was a photograph, one he'd never seen before. The face of a grinning Sans looked back at him along with himself sleeping on his brothers lap. He must've been a teenager as he looked about Sans' height. There were several boxes around them and from the color of the carpet in the photos it was taken at the house in Snowdin.

 

Probably, Fell realized, the first day they'd moved in. After he'd fallen asleep from exhaustion.

 

_'Focus,'_ Fell reminded himself, carefully replacing the photo, _'Sans won't be helped by any more delays.'_

 

As he started to pick the lock on the door, something he could do in his sleep at this point anyway, he remembered when he'd first learned how to do this and how he'd immediately wanted to tell Sans. Undyne though had been clear as crystal that if he wanted to become one of her spys then no one could know about the skills she was teaching him.

 

He hadn't really understood why at first. Sans would've been so proud of him after all. That he'd learned how to pick a lock on his first lesson. Undyne had explained though that letting Sans or anyone he trusted know of his skills could cause others to find out. Sans might not even intentionally let it slip, he could just act differently towards Fell, inadvertently sending off alarm bells in anyone watching closely.

 

That could cause someone to start looking into Fell and find out what he was actually learning in his supposed ' _Cadet_ _Training_ ' and compromise him as a spy.

 

Fell sighed, Sans probably thought he was nothing but a braggart considering how much he touted his combat prowess. Not that Fell couldn't knock most other monsters flat if he wanted to even in a straight out fight but having to use bluster to keep his true abilities a secret was frustrating.

 

It felt, dishonest.

 

They'd always shared everything and to keep this side of himself from Sans had felt awful. Of course, Fell realized now after his visit to the shed behind the house and Gaster's lab that he hadn't been the only one keeping secrets.

 

He sneered bitterly, _'Why wouldn't he trust me?'_ But then Fell hadn't trusted Sans either. Even if it was under Undyne's orders.

 

The lock clicked, snapping him out of his thoughts. Fell smirked in triumph before pocketing his lock picks and slowly opening the door.

 

He tensed as the door moved. His training screaming at him to be wary of traps and had this been Underfell there surely would've been some but, as he sternly reminded himself again this wasn't Underfell. ' _Still_ ,' He reasoned, ' _Can't be too careful._ '

 

His eyes scanned the darkened shop as he slipped inside, closing the door behind him tightly. Opposite the back door was the front counter of the shop, so aside from going out to the forge area this was probably where employees typically entered and exited.

 

Beside him were shelves full of wares, components, leather strips, buckles, along with jars of polish and oil.

 

The front of house was obviously where more common goods were sold. Maybe some of the Underswap guards did do their own repair work after all, or it could be some of the locals purchased these things.

 

Suits of armor weren't the only thing that needed a good polish or oiling from time to time after all.

 

Not seeing what he needed Fell began to move further into the shop. The counter ran the whole length of the store and the front section for customers really was just a small area on the other side. The lack of dust on the floor showed that the place was probably bustling with employees during the day.

 

He kept the lights off to avoid attracting outside attention but despite the dark Fell was easily able to navigate. Through intense control he kept his red eye-lights even dimmer then normal, a trick that had taken him quite some time to master.

 

It did have the adverse effect of causing his vision to lack fine detail but bright glowing red lights would be far too noticeable in a darkened shop.

 

_'Where is it,'_ Fell hummed softly, moving among the shelves. He had to fight not to run his fingers along the boxes in case he disturbed anything. The front part of the shop being so neat and tidy spoke volumes about whoever looked after the cleaning. _'Obviously someone has standards,'_ He smiled. Certainly though his desire to not disturb anything wasn't out of respect for some monsters hard work but rather the need for secrecy.

 

Certainly.

 

He tensed suddenly, his hearing picking up the sounds of approaching feet from outside. Gutting his eye-lights completely Fell ducked down behind the counter. Normally for skeletons doing this could be panic inducing but for part of his training Undyne had forced him to navigate half of Waterfall blind.

 

That had not been a pleasant experience the first few times.

 

As the sounds of walking got closer to the store front Fell could make out voices quietly speaking. The clank of metal accompanied them so it was definitely a guard patrol. He tried to parse out the individual sounds in his head.

 

There had to be at least two guards, maybe three. The patrol he'd seen earlier had contained two so he reasoned it was more likely to be two.

 

He knew from behind the counter and with his eye-lights completely out there was no way they'd be able to see anything amiss from outside the shop, but their close proximity still made him hold his breath.

 

Not that skeletons really needed to breath in the same way as fleshy monsters.

 

The low voices and booted feet did not stop or even pause as they moved past the shop. Fell waited until he could no longer hear them and even for several soul beats afterward to make sure no one would see anything if they looked back down the street.

 

It wouldn't do, after all, for the dim glow of red inside the shop to give someone the niggling itch to investigate.

 

Relieved he blinked his sockets several times as his eye-lights returned. Fell remained below the counter making sure the glow was still dimmed properly and under his control. Once confident he stood, brushing off a bit of imaginary dirt before continuing his search.

 

He moved through the rows of supplies until he hit the opposite end of the building from where he'd entered. This side was set against the cavern wall. A sturdy door, unlocked, Fell noted as he entered, led into a room carved out from the rock around them.

 

It wasn't well adorned or even that comfortable. Not as sterile as say a laboratory but definitely utilitarian.

 

It was here that standard pieces of arms and armor were repaired. Dings hammered out, straps replaced, buckles mended. Work benches crowded the available floor space while tools were neatly hung up on hooks or racks along the wall. The forge outside was for creation, but this place was the heart of the armor shop, the maintenance work room.

 

In a back corner Fell finally found what he was looking for; the intake pile.

 

Unless a guards armor specifically belonged to him or her, like a family heirloom or a commissioned piece, most guard armor in Underfell, especially for cadets, was pulled from a circulated stock. He'd reasoned it should be the same in Underswap and was not disappointed.

 

Fell had owned such a set once upon a time. Cadet circulated stock was unlikely to be tampered with since there was no way to tell who would get which set, though even then he'd insisted on doing most of the maintenance himself or watching the monster who did it as they worked, just in case. Once he'd graduated, which had taken very little time at all, his first purchase with his new salary had been commissioning a custom set.

 

He'd watched the monster who'd built it very carefully.

 

Even Undyne had thought that was a bit...paranoid.

 

Fell hadn't. Living in the gutter for years had taught him there was no such thing as being too paranoid.

 

Pieces of circulated armor when brought in to be maintained or repaired were thrown into the intake pile while special or specifically owned pieces were always kept separate. This meant that anything Fell took from the pile was likely not to be quickly reported as missing.

 

At least until someone came to pick it up at any rate. Then someone would realize that the number of sets given didn't match the number of sets returned. However, given that this armor was piled up to be worked on and there was a large number of sets already on work benches around the room it would be some time before that happened.

 

Since this work room was windowless Fell let his eye-lights return to full strength. He even gave them a slight boost to increase the light he had to work with. Carefully he began to sort through the haphazardly stacked pile of armor pieces.

 

A few he rejected outright as they were too damaged to pass inspection and likely to fall apart on him in a pinch. Thankfully though, probably because Underswap was peaceful, most of the armor looked to only need minor repairs.

 

The ones he picked out really just needed a bit of oil to the leather or a bit of polish, simple maintenance. The worst he saw was a few slightly loose straps and while it was tempting to work on them Fell resisted the urge. He definitely couldn't show up with a completely polished armor set as that might draw too much attention and the straps weren't so bad that they'd fall apart any time soon by his estimation.

 

He couldn't resist, however, at least giving the chosen pieces a slight buff with a clean cloth. Satisfied with his work he tossed the cloth into the shops laundry bin. Any good guard would do something like this before turning in for the night so he wouldn't look out of place.

 

Fell debated on how to get everything out of here. He'd had to leave his makeshift sack back in his bolt hole, as carrying it around, even empty, into a deserted shop might've been suspicious and he couldn't just walk out of here carrying the pieces.

 

It also wouldn't be wise to wear them with patrols running around in case they bumped into him.

 

Finally he settled on having to take a sack from the shop. It was clean and folded up with several others. They probably used it for carrying laundry mostly or possibly making deliveries. He hoped a lost sack wouldn't raise too much suspicion but it was a risk he'd have to take.

 

Carefully he set the pieces inside, resting them against each other in a practiced manner so they would make very little noise. Nodding to himself he closed up the sack then set to putting the work room back as close to how he'd found it as possible.

 

He took up the sack and dimmed his eye-lights before leaving the room, pausing just outside the door to listen. No sounds of a patrol reached his hearing. Since he was in the relative safety of the shop he practiced moving with the sack, finding the subtle movements that would further decrease the amount of noise before leaving through the same back door he'd entered. Fell then reset the lock with practiced ease.

 

Again he paused at the edge of the building and again he heard nothing. Quickly he made his way back across the wide street to the safety of the crowded network of buildings beyond. As soon as he reached the first alleyway Fell ducked into it.

 

Unease, caution and probably paranoia, caused him to take several side alleys, looping back on his path multiple times until he was sure he wasn't being followed.

 

Even then he didn't fully relax until he'd reached his bolt hole and waited just inside the doorway a good ten minutes, clutching the sack to himself, his head pressed against the wall, hearing straining to pick up even the slightest sounds.

 

Relieved Fell sighed and let the tension drain out of his frame.

 

Finally something was going right.

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D Poor Fell. Also Stretch is most definitely planning something.


	16. Chapter 16

Sighing Alphys checked her watch for probably the seventeenth time in the last minute. She'd been up since the cavern lights had begun their day cycle; the slow brightening from their nightly dimness was not an unusual sight to her.

 

It wasn't even something she minded, preferring to get an early start to her day even when she was off duty. But this situation over the last few days had begun to weigh on her heavily. Which resulted in her already normally short sleep cycle being restless.

 

She was always a light sleeper as well, a necessity with being guard Captain, but the longer Fell went without being spotted since his prison break the more her tension mounted.

 

He'd disappeared into the city without so much as a trace and he hadn't been spotted at any of the city’s checkpoints either yesterday or last night.

 

Her major concern was that he'd somehow managed to slip by them, maybe into the Hotland tunnels though she'd spared as many guards to watch the entrances and exits as she could. The place was a maze though and there could be other, undocumented exits she wasn't aware of.

 

The barrier meant he couldn't get out of the Underground of course, but that hardly eased her worries and actually added to them.

 

There was also the phone call from Blue yesterday afternoon.

 

She'd been up even earlier than usual both due to her uneasy dreams and tossing as well as her need to assign more rigorous troop patrols. Lost in thought over her latest report Alphys had been startled by her phone going off.

 

Quickly placing it to her ear she'd been treated to a rather tired sounding Blue.

 

"Alphys," He had seemed reluctant to speak.

 

"What happened?" Her mind had raced with thoughts of Red reverting to a dangerous beast or perhaps Fell breaking into the lab.

 

Blue had taken a deep breath, "We're fine," He assured her, correctly guessing her first concerns, "But there's some things we need and...some things we need to tell you."

 

Alphys had sat in almost stunned silence, taking in everything Blue said about Red, about Fell, and about Stretch.

 

She wasn't angry per se. The logical part of her could see how this information could be a need to know basis and of course in terms of time line Blue hadn't known about Red or Fell until he'd put the pieces together himself.

 

But Stretch's situation felt like a betrayal.

 

Undyne should've told her about this years ago, when it first happened, not now when they were backed into a corner. If they'd known maybe they'd have handled Red's situation differently to begin with or, part of her argued, maybe they'd have kept Stretch on a tight leash out of fear. Something which, when she thought about it, she didn't doubt he was afraid of.

 

If it were her, she wouldn't want to be a bug in a jar either, but it explained why Undyne had been so confident she could help Red at all.

 

The pieces of the puzzle their conversation in Waterfall had left her with were slotting into place.

 

Despite her feelings she'd listened to Blue, verified she thought their idea was a sound one, even if she'd prefer he was replaced with someone more experienced. Something she knew Blue wouldn't accept with how involved he was. He was capable though, Alphys knew that, even if Stretch didn't want to acknowledge it.

 

So she'd agreed and even made a few suggestions of her own regarding traps and strategies before advising it would take her time to gather everything. They'd agreed she'd send the supplies this morning with the guard change that was due at the lab.

 

Which led her here and her regret that she couldn't afford to go in person.

 

That was the problem with being the head of the guard, you had to know when to delegate and with Fell on the loose _somewhere_ in the Underground she couldn't afford to leave the Queen unguarded, even if she wasn't his target, but especially after learning Fell and Red weren't even from Underswap.

 

They couldn't know if Fell and Red were distractions or if some other power was loose in their Underground just yet. Not to mention Alphys had to be at an accessible location to coordinate her scouts turning over every inch of the Underground and her increased patrols.

 

Sometimes she missed the days where being in the guard was easy. When _'Go here and swing your axe at it'_ had been the extent of thinking she had to do. Then again she was probably romanticizing, even low rank guard work wasn't quite _that_ simple.

 

Alphys checked over her clipboard of supplies one last time, verifying the crates on the transport in front of her. The cobbled together mechanical transport was rarely used since finding replacement parts was cumbersome and manufacturing them was considered low on the list of priorities. Far below something like the core for example.

 

Most merchants of course had wooden or makeshift carts that had to be manually pulled or employed larger, stronger monsters to carry supplies themselves. Whereas this transport operated on imbued magical energies.

 

She opened the slot to check the level of the crystal one last time, figuring the guard might need to use it not only to transport these traps and supplies but to cart Fell back to the detention center depending on how south things went with Blue's plan.

 

She'd already prepped an isolation cell in fact. Just in case.

 

It didn't hurt to be prepared after all.

 

While Alphys had been going over the preparations again the guards chosen for this detail had begun arriving. Most came in a group together, lining up single file in preparation to depart, but there were a few stragglers that were drifting in pretty late.

 

"Hey!" She barked at one moving rather slowly. The guard in question froze briefly before straightening up into a sharp salute, "Get in formation we don't have all morning," Alphys growled, gesturing towards the back of the lined-up soldiers.

 

The guard, quickly obeyed settling in at the back of the line.

 

With a nod Alphys surveyed the group before checking her watch one last time and beginning to speak, "As you all know we still have an escaped prisoner on the loose and word is that his target is the guest of our royal scientist. Your group will be replacing the current guards on duty and assisting the royal scientist and Cadet Sans with setting up these traps," She motioned to the transport behind her, "First Lieutenant Felix will be in command for this mission, and I don't want to hear any grumbling about it! When you arrive, he will assign one of you to assist Cadet Sans."

 

A few guards shared looks of confusion behind their visors and helmets.

 

"I understand this isn't typical protocol but Cadet Sans and Royal Scientist Undyne are the most acquainted with their...guest. All that said, I turn things over to you First Lieutenant."

 

"Thank you Captain," The cat monster in armor said, lifting his visor up to better address his charges.

 

Alphys stepped back, allowing Felix to position himself in front of the line. She sighed, wishing again that she could just go with them. Part of her had considered it, even been tempted to make the lab her base of operations for this but...

 

_'Too crowded,'_ She reminded herself again, _'With so many guards coming and going it could scare Fell off.'_ Which was something she would rather avoid. Even this detail was smaller than she wanted to send and some of them would be returning after the traps were set up or set at scouting points out of sight around the lab. The sooner Fell could be located and hopefully reasoned with as Blue had planned, the better.

 

Still, she sighed again, watching Felix begin to lead the group off out of New Home, sometimes being Captain had its disadvantages.

 

***

 

The pop and cracking of teleportation magic sounded throughout the darkened living room. Stretch waved a hand in front of his nasal ridge, trying to dispel the scent of ozone that always clung to the air when using that ability.

 

That was one of the downsides of his recent relapse, he might be physically back to normal but his senses were still a bit on the heightened side. Briefly he considered lighting a cigarette, but decided against it.

 

There just wasn't time to indulge right now.

 

Closer to the ground Red coughed a bit, _< Ugh, forgot how much that stinks,>_ He growled, still in his blaster form. He sighed then, looking around the almost familiar living room of Stretch and Blue's home. Red found it...unsettling....to be in a place that was so like his home and yet so completely different.

 

His tail swished in slow, slightly agitated circles as he grumbled, _< It's way too early for this.>_

 

"Agreed," Stretch yawned, pulling one of two plastic bags from his hoodie pocket, "But with the new guards due to arrive about mid-morning Blue thought it would be best if we get this done before they show."

 

Rolling his eye-lights Red followed Stretch as he gave one of the plastic bags a shake and moved into the kitchen, _< Okay fine,>_ Red said with a huff, _< Why did I have to come then? It's not like I have thumbs right now,>_ He wiggled his forepaws for emphasis.

 

"Well," Stretch said, opening the fridge and starting to sort through plastic containers, his back to Red, "Blue figured you should pick out some clothes since it would be ' _rude_ ' to pick out something for you."

 

Red chuckled, _< You mean he didn't want you to pick out a 'Pun' shirt. He does know we're twice as likely to do that though right? I mean dragging me along is just asking for joke time.>_ He grinned sharply.

 

"Honestly," Stretch smirked, placing a few leftovers in the open bag, "He probably just wanted a break."

 

_< We have been 'buttering' it on thick,>_ Red snorted, a call back to breakfast which had almost resulted in Blue bursting a vessel from the amount of puns they'd been tossing back and forth. Kind of an impressive feat since they were made of magic and bones without any veins to speak of. Blue couldn't even understand Red's speech presently and he'd known what they had been doing.

 

Even Undyne had looked a bit exasperated by the time they'd let up, _< Good times,>_ Red chuckled, _< Good times.>_

 

Still, Red couldn't help feeling slightly, uneasy. They'd woken him up from a sound sleep to eat breakfast, okay his own brother did that, but then to just have him go with Stretch back to Snowdin for clothes? It seemed, odd, to have him tag along.

 

It was certainly understandable that Blue and Stretch would want to gather some personal items in order to hunker down until Fell was caught or captured by the guard but taking Red along on this trip just felt....off considering the rest of the plan.

 

He just couldn't see what the point would be, well maybe it was like Stretch said, maybe Blue just wanted them out of his ' _hair_ ' for the time being. Red chuckled to himself, waving Stretch's questioning look off.

 

The plan itself though was something he wasn't thrilled about. Red had pretty much confirmed Stretch's hunch that Fell's original capture had probably been a fluke and catching him a second time wasn't very likely. As for Blue's insistence on non-lethal traps Red had made clear that at the very least the traps would have to do some kind of damage.

 

Otherwise they might as well be made of toilet paper because Fell was going to tear right through them.

 

They'd assured him that Alphys would definitely have something they could use and Undyne had been confident she could make any necessary adjustments as well.

 

Red wished he had Blue and Undyne's confidence.

 

He figured Stretch probably did as well since he also seemed rather...uneasy.

 

Or maybe that was because he was currently slipping a few golden bottles into the garbage bag.

 

_< Didn't Blue say 'No honey'?>_ Red reminded Stretch.

 

"Our little secret," Stretch winked, putting a finger to his teeth.

 

Laughing Red pushed him aside to look in the fridge, _ <Got any mustard?>_

 

Stretch plucked the requested condiment from the fridge door, "I can't guarantee how fresh it is, Blue doesn't use it much and I avoid cooking at all costs."

 

_< You're that bad?>_

 

"You ever seen a teapot catch on fire?" Stretch asked, completely serious.

 

_<....That is bad. >_

 

Looking at all the Tupperware left Red confused though, _< Why would Blue need mustard anyway, this all looks like taco stuff?>_

 

Stretch shrugged, "He likes to experiment."

 

_< That's....not reassuring.>_

 

"You'd be surprised," Stretch smiled fondly, "Sometimes he comes up with some...unique stuff. I take it you're the cook at home since you know the ' _proper_ ' application of mustard?"

 

Red chuckled, looking around the extremely clean kitchen, _ <Kinda, Fell can cook certain things just fine, but it's easier if I do it since my hours are....shorter,>_ He finished, looking down at his paws with a wistful sigh.

 

He hadn't been able to cook anything in over a month now. Red couldn't believe how much he missed doing it either. He suppressed another chuckle, if Fell knew he was wistfully longing to be able to cook considering how often he bitched about having to, Red guaranteed his brother would have died of shock.

 

"Undyne'll fix it," Stretch said, reaching out to rest his hand on Red's skull in what was supposed to be a comforting gesture.

 

Flinching Red stepped away from the unfamiliar touch, a paw coming up to scratch at his other arm in what Stretch was beginning to identify as a nervous habit, _< Sure,>_ He said hopelessly.

 

"I'm seriou-"

 

_< Yeah I know,>_ Red snapped, _< Let's just get this shit done.>_

 

Stretch watched, sighing as Red turned away and left the kitchen. If he had lips he'd be chewing them to ribbons about now. His hand drifted to his hoodie pocket, his thumb running over the rounded square shape inside.

 

Pushing down the twisting feeling in his soul Stretch pulled a few more items from the fridge before closing it behind him and following after Red.

 

He found Red upstairs, growling in frustration as he attempted to manipulate the doorknob to Blue's bedroom. Stretch suppressed a chuckle as Red sat up and attempted to grasp the knob in his mouth only to have his fangs continually slide off it.

 

Without a word Stretch hopped up the last few stair steps and opened the door for him. Red grumbled something that sounded like a thank you as he entered the tidy room first.

 

"Blue keeps his off-duty shirts in the bottom drawer," Stretch said, opening the second garbage bag. He moved to his brother's bed in order to grab some blankets and pillows, continuing, "He said to pick anything you want."

 

It took a couple attempts but Red managed to pry the drawer open with a paw before jamming his muzzle into the space and levering it open fully. From there he carefully pawed out several shirts which were each tightly rolled, _< Can't believe he wears this stuff,>_ Red said, noting that almost every shirt seemed to have an overly cutesy animal on it.

 

Shrugging Stretch folded up one of Blue's throw blankets from his bed, stuffing it into the bag, "It makes him happy. You know how it is."

 

Red did know. Much like Fell's carefully kept action figures Blue's shirts were probably something of an escape. A way to relive a simpler time, even if they were childish to some. There certainly wasn't any harm in it.

 

And Red had to admit it was probably better then smoking or excessive caffeine consumption, two vices he apparently shared with Stretch.

 

Though, to be fair, Stretch smoked way more than he did.

 

Red wasn't sure if that was due to Fell's disdain for the habit and the rules he'd put down about where and when it was acceptable or if it was because of his other....outlet. He pawed at his arm in thought.

 

Looking over the shirts again Red sighed, uncertain which he could stand to wear when he finally got to talk to Fell. Then again a good shirt would certainly infuriate his brother, which would be good to ease some of the tension Red certainly expected there to be.

 

After all he had a lot of explaining to do.

 

Finishing up with the blankets Stretch came up beside him, "How about this one?" He said, pointing to a soft white shirt emblazoned with a cartoonish brown and cream puppy dog. It was sickeningly adorable.

 

Frowning Red grumbled, _< Yeah how about no.>_

 

"Awwww c'mon," Stretch chuckled, his hand drifting into his pocket, "I think it's _barking_ up your tree."

 

_< I'm not a dog,>_ Red huffed, rolling his eye-lights. He resisted the urge to chuckle, _< It's all bark and no bite anyway.>_

 

"What," Stretch smirked, "Can't you ' _houndle_ ' it?"

 

Barking with laughter Red snorted, < _Bich_ -on please! You're just _toy_ -ing with me!>

 

"Oh man," Stretch laughed, "If-If Blue heard us now he'd be-" He wheezed, " _Barking_ mad!"

 

Stretch and Red fell onto the carpet laughing and snorting, tears in their eye sockets. Gasping Stretch tried to calm down, "Okay," He chuckled, "Okay, seriously though," He fought down another lapse of the giggles, "Is there at least one shirt here you'd be willing to wear?"

 

_< Well,>_ Red chuckled, lifting himself from the floor. He pawed through his options again, _< Maybe? Nah, not that one,> _He pushed aside one of his choices with a paw, _<...I guess I coul- >_

 

Without warning Stretch lunged, fighting to force Red back down to the floor, _< What the fuck!>_ Red shouted, growling, _< What the hell are you doing! GET OFF ME!>_

 

Thrashing Red tried to twist around to reach Stretch with his teeth or even just get his claws on him to push him off but Stretch had made sure to grab and lay his weight on him in such a way that he was just out of reach.

 

Snarling Red stopped thrashing and instead pushed his paws under himself, using his much more bulky frame to heave himself and Stretch off the ground. As Stretch struggled to regain his balance Red bucked hard again, his slightly spikey spine colliding with Stretch's sternum.

 

Pushing forward with the next buck Red sent Stretch toppling forward over his skull to land with a loud thud on the floor. Rage welled up in Red as he noted the small grey box attached to a collar that flew out of Stretch's grasp as he landed.

 

He knew what that was, he'd seen them in Gasters' lab more times then he'd care to count over the years.

 

Scooping up the magic dampener in his jaws Red bit down hard, the sharp crack of the plastic casing split the air followed by the fizzing pop and pungent smell of burnt out electronics. He spat it out in disgust before backing up to stay out of Stretch's longer reach.

 

Red moved to stand in front of the open door, ready to bolt out down the stairs and through the living room window if need be, _< How fucking dare you try to put a dampener on me! What the hell is your defect you asshole? What were you gonna lock me in your stars damned shed or some shit!>_

 

Stretch flinched, "No that wasn't the plan," He made to pick himself off the floor but stopped when Red snarled threateningly, "I wasn't going to lock you in the shed, I swear! I was just...going to leave you in the house. You'd have full run of it and I'd bring Undyne back and forth to check on you, that's all."

 

_< So why the fucking dampener, oh wait, I know why! Because you knew I'd never fucking agree to that! You three just want me to stay here like some good little house pet while you confront my brother!>_

 

"Red you'd be safer he-!"

 

_< I don't need your fucking pity!> _ Red snapped, _< Where you trying to get me out of the way so you could dust him? Is that it!>_

 

"No," Stretch said forcefully, his own magic beginning to pound in his skull and beginning to surge threateningly at the perceived threat, "Just hear me the fuck out! Please... this was my idea, not Blue's, not Undyne's, I just thought- I just thought," His voice hitched as he fought down a surge of panic.

 

_< Get up,>_ Red said, lowering his voice to a calmer level, smelling Stretch's out of control magic with ease, _'I should just rip his face off,'_ He thought, trying to control his emotions. He glared at Stretch as he obeyed; sitting up slowly from the floor while nervously rubbing at the back of his neck.

 

For several long moments they stared at each other, Red fought to keep calm, his tail dancing across the carpet. While Stretch took slow deep breaths, trying to even out his own reaction. He didn't want to fight Red and hoped he was conveying that intent clearly.

 

For Red's part his soul was roiling, his magic longing to lash out but Stretch hadn't really hurt him and the only intent in his lunge had been restraint. But the fact that Stretch had attempted to collar him made Red uneasy. He had started to believe he could trust Stretch, Undyne and Blue, even though he'd known them for so short a time.

 

_'I'll be glad when this is over and I see the back of this universe,'_ Red thought to himself.

 

"First, like I said before," Stretch said, "This was my idea, not Blue's or Undyne's so don't go blaming them. You have to admit it would be better if you were someplace Fell couldn't find you easily."

 

_< How do you know he hasn't made it to Snowdin already?>_

 

It was a valid question, Alphys hadn't caught Fell at a check point in New Home and no one had seen him in Waterfall or Hotland. Fell could be anywhere for all they knew.

 

"We teleported here so there's no physical tracks," Stretch reasoned, "And Undyne removed the tracker you had on you as well. You'd be inside the house. Unless you went outside or opened a blind while you weren't a skeleton then it's unlikely he'd see you. Plus," Stretch argued, feeling a faint hope that Red might just listen to reason, "All reports from the guard say you're in Hotland. Only Undyne, myself and Blue would know where you really were."

 

Red huffed, _< Except that I wouldn't be IN Hotland, how were you going to keep him from figuring that out eventually? Guards change and if there isn't an 'experiment' to guard someone could blab unless->_

 

The pieces fell into place clear as crystal, _< You- you were going to take my place!>_ Red growled.

 

"Don't you see, it's perfect," Stretch said, "Fell doesn't know I have the same...affliction...you do and-"

 

_< You thought you'd just shuffle me out of the stars damned way? There's no way in hell that would work! We don't even look alike you idiot! What do you think my brother will do when he realizes he's been baited with a substitute?!>_

 

Red could imagine all too well. Fell was controlled and calm most of the time, but he'd been on the hunt for a little over a week now with the belief that Red was lying on his death bed back home and the only way to save him was to bring back this ' _experiment_ '.

 

That sort of situation would test anyone's patience. Even his brothers.

 

"I wasn't just going to sit there, the point is to catch him off guard-"

 

_< That's great, real fucking clever, until he blows the wall open to the room you're in instead of coming through the front doors you idiot. I've seen him fight Stretch and he's gonna use every trick he can to get a leg up because the place is locked down. And when he sees you aren't me don't think he won't hesitate to dust your ass or Blue's in retaliation!>_

 

"Red he...Fell didn't dust any of the guards when he escaped."

 

_< He...he didn't?>_

 

Red almost couldn't believe it. They'd made a promise, when Fell was young and still a little naive that they would never dust anyone unless they had to, that it would be a last resort. But that had been so long again and with Fell being a high ranking member of the royal guard Red had just...sort of assumed...

 

He briefly felt sick with shame. His brother had level of course, they both did, but since Fell had joined the guard Red had just assumed he'd grown to...

 

...to _like_ killing.

 

_'I thought he forgot about it,'_ Red trembled slightly, shutting his sockets tight and pushing back a wave of emotion, _'He still tries, he still remembers... what a shit excuse for a big brother I am.'_

 

Even so, Red reminded himself, everyone had a breaking point. Even if he and Fell weren't as close as they once were clearly Fell was determined to ' **save** ' him. Otherwise he'd have gone back to Underfell already.

 

And maybe he had **spared** the prison guards but how long would that **mercy** last? Especially when he broke into the lab and instead of finding his target he was confronted with a decoy.

 

Would he hurt Stretch?

 

Or Undyne?

 

Or even Blue?

 

The first and last were the most likely of course since Blue was a guard cadet and would attack with his fellows and Stretch...

 

Well if Fell didn't dust him instantly thinking he was just some manufactured diversion then definitely. After all it wasn't like Stretch was just going to sit there and let his brother hurt Blue either. And if it came to that well...

 

Someone wouldn't be walking away.

 

_< Listen to me you stupid son of a calcium deposit,> _Red hissed, eye-lights burning with contained fury, _< My brother has no idea you and I are actual sentient monsters when we're like this. Do you think, for one second in that hollowed out skull of yours that he'd spare you or the guards when he figures out he's been tricked?>_

 

"Well...when you put it that way," Stretch sighed.

 

_< Exactly you complete geode! He'll dust your ass out of anger before anyone can explain anything to him and that's even if you saw him coming! What's worse is what do you think will happen to Blue or those guards when he can't find where I've gone and he has no leads huh? You want to watch him torture someone if you're even still breathing?>_

 

"Of course not! I just-"

 

_< Then use your fucking skull! I have to be there or this whole thing will fall apart. If you want to play substitute to lead him into a trap, that's fine, I can work with that, but we do this shit __**MY**_ _way. Understand? >_ Red growled.

 

No, he didn't understand. Stretch didn't understand why Red had to be difficult about this. Sure he was more then willing to accept some input from Red on what to expect out of Fell but this was his universe, not Red's, and he was sick to death of arguing with people today.

 

"Red, listen, this is my universe and I-"

 

_< And I keep telling you, you don't know shit about my brother OR me! SO fuck you if you think you're putting me on the goddamned sidelines while you confront him!>_

 

"If he captures you," Stretch tried to argue, "Then this whole thing was pointless!"

 

_< Oh for fucks sake I'm not a baby and I'm not letting you lord it over me like you do your brother, I don't need your protection asshole!>_

 

"Leave my relationship with my brother out of this, like you said, you don't know shit," Stretch glared, grinding his teeth.

 

Red snorted, _< Fine, then don't treat me like a fucking child.>_

 

"I wasn't," Stretch shot back, "You said Fell wouldn't even listen to me so how am I supposed to explain who you are if he just grabs you and bails!"

 

_< I thought that's what the traps were for,>_ Red snarled, _< Or was that an excuse to keep me calm so you could just off my brother.>_

 

"No," Stretch snapped, "I'm planning to just lead him into a trap and once he's immobilized Undyne can show him pictures and data from your exam as proof. The most I think will happen is we'll bruise each other up some but I would never try to kill your brother!"

 

For several moments Red was silent, staring at Stretch piercingly. Stretch resisted the urge to fidget under that gaze. It was cold, calculating, sizing him up without a shred of compassion.

 

_<....In this world your personality is closer to mine then my brothers right, >_ Red spoke in a soft rumbling growl.

 

"Okay, so?"

 

_< So I don't believe you. Cuz I know me, and if someone dangerous came to my world and I thought for one second that my brother couldn't handle them you bet your boney ass I'd kill them first.>_

 

There was no accusation in Red's tone, just dispassionate fact. Unnerved Stretch visibly deflated, "...You're right," He admitted, "It was plan B though...just in case... But I really don't believe it will come to that."

 

_< Damn straight,>_ Red nodded, _< Because you ain't leaving me in the fucking dark any longer you empty headed fossil. Get it through your thick skull or I'll find Fell on my own.>_

 

Stretch fumed silently as Red moved away from the door and back to the now completely chaotic mass of shirts thrown around the floor. He kept a wary eye-light on Stretch as he moved and would not put his back to him at all.

 

_'They just don't get it,'_ Stretch thought, retrieving the bag of bedding and rummaging through it in a failing attempt to calm himself, _'Why can't they just trust me!'_

 

Last night Blue had argued against this, now Red was refusing to see reason as well, _'Though I knew he wouldn't go for this,'_ He admitted to himself. That wasn't entirely true though.

 

Stretch had thought that once Red was collared and the plan explained he'd see reason. He's see that Stretch just wanted to deal with this his way and that his plan was a good one, a safe one.

 

But instead Red was just stubbornly sticking with this idea that only he could deal effectively with Fell. And Blue, Stretch hissed to himself, Blue was just complicating everything now that Stretch had agreed to keep him in the loop.

 

Why couldn't either of these two see that he knew what he was talking about? That his way would work out just fine.

 

Stretch was pulled from his thoughts in time to catch a t-shirt that had been flung at his face. Glaring at Red he stuffed it into the bedding bag along with a pair of shorts Red threw next.

 

_< What is it?>_ Red said, easily picking up on Stretch's frustration.

 

"Just," Stretch sighed in exasperation, "I want to make it clear, again that this wasn't Blue or Undyne's idea. In fact Blue was really against it and I don't want you taking this out on either of them.

 

_< I got it,> _Red snorted, _< This shit show as all you and your ego.>_

 

"Fuck you my ego has nothing to do with it!"

 

_< Does it?>_ Red questioned, _< Because from where I'm sitting you seem to be having a hissy fit cuz no one's doing shit your way. And you sure as hell seem a little put off by any kind of input.>_

 

"I'm trying to protect people!" Stretch defended vehemently.

 

_< And I'm not?> _ Red glared, _< And what you think your brother's just in this for shits and giggles? Grow the fuck up and stop acting like a spoiled brat.>_

 

"You know," Stretch snarled, "I would've been a lot happier if you'd stayed mindless."

 

As soon as the words left his mouth Stretch knew he'd made a mistake. He'd shocked even himself with that statement, his hand covering his mouth quickly, "Red...fuck I-"

 

_< You know what,>_ Red snarled, if he'd possessed hackles they'd have been lifted straight off his spine, _< Maybe I don't fucking need you, __**ANY**_ _of you! How about that?! >_

 

Red's magic began to glow, gathering around him, "No Red," Stretch yelled trying to stop him, "Don't-"

 

In a flash Red was gone leaving behind nothing but the sharp tang of ozone.

 

"-teleport," Stretch sighed.

 

Cursing his runaway mouth and gathering up the two stuffed garbage bags Stretch really hoped that when he got back to the lab Red was there and that he hadn't just teleported himself into a wall by accident.

 

_'Stars fucking dammit, why couldn't he have just listened to me,'_ Stretch thought, preparing his own teleportation.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ~Don't you know you never split the party~ *singing*
> 
> Thank you all for all the comments and Kudos I've been receiving :D My email has been a joy to look through when I need a pick me up. :) Things have been well here, my mom came for a visit, one of my cats charmed her with his adorableness of course. Despite the fact she's allergic she was snuggling him XD. No one can resist him. It's been a bit of a busy time at work and I have a trip coming up at the end of May :D so that will be fun! Plus I've been obsessed with Darkest Dungeon lately, I really should stream some of my games some time XD.
> 
> Thank you for reading :D


	17. Chapter 17

The lab hall was quiet when Stretch reappeared and there was no immediate sign of Red. Nervously he picked up the garbage bags and headed into the main room. Blue and Undyne were there, with Blue sipping another cup of coffee while Undyne was bent over her work table.

 

Both paused as Stretch nervously entered and looked around before asking, "Did Red go take a nap?"

 

"No," Blue said, "He hasn't come back here."

 

Stretch rubbed at the back of his neck muttering a quiet 'oh' before picking up the garbage bags and attempting to move back into Undyne's kitchen area.

 

"What happened," Blue asked, bringing Stretch up short.

 

Flushing Stretch tugged at his hoodie collar, sheepishly looking at the tiled floor, "Nothing really, we just had a," He paused, trying to decide on the best turn of phrase, "Disagreement."

 

Sockets narrowing in suspicion Blue questioned, "Over what."

 

"...It's nothing Blue, don't worry about it," Stretch tried to deflect, ignoring Undyne's frustrated snort.

 

"Over what," Blue repeated, getting up and catching Stretch's eye-lights.

 

Going from contrite to frustrated as the memory of their argument burned in his mind, and absolutely not in the mood for a dressing down from his younger brother, Stretch grumbled, "Over him staying in Snowdin, all right?"

 

"No, not all right," Blue sighed, taking a garbage bag from Stretch, "We talked about this. You agreed it was a bad idea."

 

"No," Stretch grumbled, grabbing the bag full of food back from Blue and stomping to Undyne's fridge, "You and Undyne thought it was a bad idea to make him stay there. I," He pulled the door open forcefully, "Said I would talk to him about it. That's all."

 

"And did you?" Blue asked pointedly, adding when Stretch stiffened, "You didn't, did you?"

 

"Because it's the best way to keep him safe and if he wasn't completely bullheaded," Stretch defended himself, angrily putting food containers in the fridge, "He'd get that. Hell you and Undyne would too if you all just listened."

 

"We are listening Papyrus," Blue sighed, "But you can't just make all the decisions, it doesn't work like that."

 

"I'm the only one taking this seriously!" Stretch snapped, slamming the fridge door shut and turning on both Blue and Undyne, "You're both so confident this will just work out! You're not thinking about what could happen at all! And neither is Red!"

 

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Undyne snapped, finally losing her patience, "I'm scared to death Papyrus! Do you think I like the idea of letting Fell get in here? Do you think I haven't thought about what will happen if this goes wrong? Do you seriously think I haven't thought that someone could get hurt? I'm sorry you're having a hard time working with other monsters, you've always just done your own thing, even when we worked together. So I get it. But that's no reason to take your frustrations out on us!"

 

"Brother," Blue said sadly, "You're still trying to do everything by yourself. Stop it. Stop shutting us out and expecting us to follow you without question," He sighed, "We aren't puppets Papyrus."

 

"I never said-"

 

"It's the way you're treating us."

 

Feeling like he'd been slapped, Stretch leaned backwards against the closed fridge, his sockets shutting and hand coming up to scrub at his face. _'Fuck that is how I'm acting, isn't it?'_ He thought, taking several deep breaths, _'I've gotten so used to scripts and resets and every day being the same before the last few months....,'_ Gritting his teeth so hard he was sure they'd crack Stretch felt his soul grow cold with realization, _'Did you really become unreal to me? Nothing more than paper cut outs?'_ His sockets opened, staring at Blue and fighting back the overwhelmed tears threatening to fall.

 

So much was beyond his control now since the resets had stopped but at least before Red and Fell came there hadn't been any emergencies. No day was exactly the same but at the same time there had been so much routine in their lives that he'd just...put himself into new ruts and run away from everything that remotely made him think beyond rote memorization.

 

It was frightening. How easily it had become to think of his brother, his best friend, the monsters around him as nothing more than shells. He'd continued to keep them at arm's length after the resets ended out of fear.

 

But Red and Fell had blasted any remaining semblance of predictability to hell and made him face the world for what it was, unpredictable... It was terrifying. He kept lashing out, trying so hard to just get everything back the way it should be.

 

Stretch had been so certain that when he confronted Red back in that cavern everything would go back to normal. He'd kill the ' _experiment_ ' or subdue it, then send it and Fell packing back to their own universe with a glib warning about gate crashing.

 

None of that had panned out though and even after Stretch's talk alone with Blue the day before, even after he'd promised to try, and he had meant it at the time, it was just so easy to fall back into old habits.

 

Just so easy to try and control the uncontrollable.

 

How else was Red supposed to act to being jumped with a dampening collar? And then he'd just kept prodding the wound out of some childish need to hurt him.

 

"I'm the worst," Stretch whispered, sliding down to the floor, "I'm...I'm sorry. I know it's not an excuse but I just...can't see how this will end."

 

That was close enough to the truth.

 

Smiling Blue reached down, pulling Stretch up off the floor, "That's why we work together," He pulled Stretch into a hug, whispering, "I'm actually kinda scared too." Pulling away he sighed and said at normal volume, "So first we need to find Red, any thoughts on where he might've gone?"

 

Stretch scrubbed at his sockets, avoiding both Blue and Undyne's eyes as he did. He rubbed at his nasal ridge, "Not a clue," He said, "Red just teleported after our argument. I really thought he'd come back here."

 

"No luck with that," Undyne sighed, "But finding him shouldn't be too difficult," She smirked, pulling the same scanner from the drawer her and Blue had used before, "I still have his signature saved."

 

Stretch held out his hand for the scanner, "I'll get him."

 

"Not by yourself," Blue said sternly, "He's probably still really angry with you and it would be best to have someone there to mediate."

 

Hesitating Undyne looked between the two, "Well, um, you know I can understand that idea but uh, if you both leave right now it'll just be me and the couple guards outside. Slim security don't you think?" She finished with a gulp and a nervous chuckle at the thought of being alone in the lab.

 

"That's why I'm saying I should go alone," Stretch said, "Besides, I'm the one who pissed him off by trying to put a dampener on him so-"

 

"You did what!" Undyne and Blue yelled in unison.

 

"Papyrus," Blue glared, "What in the name of Queen Toriel were you thinking!? I thought you just argued with him!"

 

"You took one of my dampeners," Undyne yelled, "Where is it!?"

 

"Oh...uh well," Stretch chuckled nervously, "Funny story...heh...Red um...yeah see he kind of...broke...it?"

 

"HE WHAT!" Undyne flew out of her chair snarling, "Stretch you fucking moron! How could you take a piece of my lab equipment and let it get broken!"

 

"Heh," Stretch said, "I'll replace it?"

 

"You bet your ass you will," Undyne huffed, temper cooling momentarily. She handed the scanner to Blue with a decisive nod, "That settles it, you get the scanner. And you," She turned swiftly, poking Stretch in the sternum, "Are officially on my shit list!"

 

Stretch threw up his hands defensively, "Okay geez," He sighed, looking at Blue, "You know I'm not letting you go without me. I really should apologize to him, plus I'm not really fond of you being out there without at least some backup. Fell is out there somewhere after all."

 

"That's my point exactly," Undyne sighed, "What if he comes here while you're both gone? Can you both please at least wait until the rest of the guard gets here?"

 

"Well," Blue thought, "I'd rather not but, I see your point and Red probably needs time to cool off anyway. Though I am worried that Fell could catch him while he's out there."

 

"Let's see where the scanner shows him," Undyne said, helping Blue fiddle with several knobs on the device. She showed him how to pull up Red's saved data showing his specific magical signature.

 

When the device loaded it's built in map though, her face went pale, "He's not lining up with the map. Shit he must've teleported into a cave wall!"

 

"It's not that," Blue said, sighing in relief at realizing the map was displaying Waterfall, "There's a...little cave there. It's off the beaten path and pretty well hidden. It's actually where I found him the first time. I guess it exists in both universes." He looked up at Stretch, "You remember the one I'm talking about, in Waterfall."

 

Stretch nodded, "Well since I don't think Fell can teleport, Red should be safe enough there for the moment. It's not easy to get to and it's not like he knows that's Red so he wouldn't have any reason to look there. Still," Stretch added, "Keep a socket on the scanner bro while we wait for the guard...just in case."

 

"Will do," Blue smiled.

 

***

 

The ambient sound of running water from the nearby river was accompanied by the pleasant drip of condensation from the cave ceiling. Red found the sounds soothing, and for a moment he could pretend he was back in his home universe; hiding in this secret cave he'd found just for him and Fell.

 

He sighed, stretching out on the old bench he was laying on, the tip of his tail twitching slightly as he enjoyed the damp air on his bones.

 

When he had teleported away from Stretch, a really stupid thing to have done, he reminded himself, this cave had been the first thing that had come to mind. Aside from sharing the same location as the one in his home universe, it was also one of the few clear recent memories he possessed.

 

Red looked down at the kicked up soil below the bench, the Tupperware and remains of the food Blue had brought to tempt his more feral state were still littered near the entrance.

 

_"I would've been a lot happier if you'd stayed mindless."_

 

Stretch's words still rang in his skull. Honestly over the last day, he'd be lying if he said he hadn't thought the same thing. If he'd never _'woken up'_ then he'd never know he was in a strange alternate universe.

 

He'd never know that Gaster had set his own brother on a week long search to find him either. Guilt twisted his soul, his memory of being in Gaster's lab was, fuzzy at best, it was hard to put the pieces in any sort of order.

 

And the bastard was up almost all hours so Red hadn't had a good way to track time when he thought Gaster had been helping him but...

 

...he suspected Fell had been looking for him for more than just the last week.

 

Red had specifically asked Gaster to contact Fell in the beginning but knowing what he knew now, it was more than likely that Gaster just never had.

 

How long had Fell been looking for him before going to Gaster then, two weeks? A month? Had he even been looking at all?

 

Red wasn't sure. Just how much had Red put Fell through? The question haunted him along with the confusion of why Fell had even bothered.

 

Red was a burden, he'd been reminded of that every day in subtle ways by everyone around him. He was physically weak, a liability to Fell. The fact that he'd disappeared should've had Fell dancing a jig in elation, but instead here his brother was, looking for him.

 

Or was he wrong? Maybe Fell hadn't been looking at all. Maybe Gaster had just contacted him about a missing experiment and asked him to retrieve it. Fell was a guard captain after all, even if Hotland was hardly his jurisdiction.

 

Maybe Gaster, being the royal scientist, had just contacted Undyne and Fell had just happened to be assigned the mission.

 

No that wasn't right, Red shook his head, Stretch had specifically mentioned that Fell had come here to save him. Because he thought he was dying back home and that the experiment was his only hope.

 

But why had Fell even bothered?

 

Monsters dusted all the time back home, how had Fell not just shrugged his shoulders regarding someone as useless as Red and let it go at that.

 

The questions were eating Red alive as he laid on the bench. His tail had gone from a gentle contented twitch to a thrash, striking the wood hard with each pass.

 

The only one who could give him the answers was Fell. Who, Alphys had told them, was still nowhere to be found. Which in itself just didn't make sense to Red at all.

 

Fell was tough, an incredibly strong monster but among the Underswap populace he should've stood out like a sore thumb! Even if he was moving around only at night or he'd already left New Home there should've been some trace left behind.

 

His brother didn't do subtlety.

 

There should've been a reported missing guard that had been interrogated or someone held hostage or hell, a hole in a house somewhere from a magic attac-

 

_'Oh wait,'_ Red snorted at himself, _'That one was me.'_

 

There was nothing though, it was like Fell had never been in New Home or even Underswap at all.

 

Lifting a paw Red felt the new crack running up from his eye socket. His earliest memories of Underswap were all shapes and colors, scents, nothing concrete since he'd been pretty out of it. But even in that state as he looked back there was no mistaking the silhouette that had attacked him.

 

_'So now what,'_ Red thought to himself, staring out at the cave mouth. As much as he just wanted to lay here feeling depressed for the next thousand years Fell was out there somewhere; hunting him.

 

Sighing Red sat up, his tail returning to a slow thoughtful twitch, _'What do we know,'_ He asked himself. _'Fell probably knows I'm at the lab by now,'_ Red nodded, _'And assuming he's still in New Home he'll have to travel through a good chunk of Hotland to get there. Heck he might even have to traipse through the core itself to-,'_ He shook his head, dismissing that train of thought, _'No, he'd avoid the core, too many eyes, too busy. He'd go around.'_

 

Pausing Red tapped his claws in thought. His eye-lights became focused on the condensation running down the cave wall nearby, splitting into multiple trails as it went. The core was the more direct route but there were other ways to get into Hotland proper.

 

It was just that, much like Waterfall in this universe, the routes to Hotland probably weren't exactly the same as back home. Fell could easily get lost trying to go around, _'He has to be getting impatient by now,'_ Red thought, _'But impatient enough to risk the core route? No, probably not, even if he's not great at subtlety Fell knows when the odds are stacked against him and the core and resort would be crawling with security. Even if there wasn't an escaped criminal on the loose. So he'd have to go around but how would he keep from-'_

 

Red jolted upright in dawning horror, his eye-lights shrunken to pinpricks, _< The new guards!>_ He barked.

 

It was so obvious to him now, with everyone expecting Fell to sneak out of the city somehow they'd be watching the exits more than their own ranks. Fell could hide in the trap supplies intended for the lab or even follow the caravan at a distance!

 

Unease twisted at his soul and Red had to take several deep breaths to calm it, he had to get back to the lab, now!

 

Shutting his sockets he concentrated on his magic. This was risky. Sure he'd been in the lab before, even walked right to it but even so, he wasn't confident he had it down in his internal map quite right, even with it being in about the same location as Gasters.

 

Still he felt confident he wouldn't teleport himself over a lava pit as he reached out to bridge through the void. Suddenly he recoiled though, his magic burning at his bones painfully, _< Fuck fuck FUCK!>_ He snarled.

 

His magic levels were far too low. He'd burned up most of his tiny regained reserve with that teleport earlier. He could force it of course but then...

 

He shuddered remembering how sick he'd been after that dog attack that felt like ages ago. Panic bloomed in his soul, the new guards were supposed to arrive sometime around mid-morning and he had no idea what time it was now.

 

Fleeing the secluded cavern and crossing the river over the stepping stone plants Red looked to either end of the large cave around him. There was no choice but to run back but which way should he go.

 

Sniffing the air Red's heightened senses picked up a faint tang of sulfur, _< Here goes nothing,>_ He said, running towards it and leaving the cave behind.

 

He only hoped he got back to the lab in time.

 

***

 

Yawning Stretch watched as the wagon and group of replacement guards approached from across the cavern. He leaned lazily on the short lab door guard next to him and took a puff off his cigarette.

 

The door guard grumbled something unflattering under his breath, but continued to stand there, shooting dirty looks at Stretch from the corner of his multiple eyes.

 

Chuckling at the reaction Stretch took another puff, blowing out a long ring of smoke, which was particularly difficult without fleshy lips. He loved being a nuisance.

 

"Think they'll take an hour just to walk across the cavern," Stretch asked the guard in all seriousness. The caravan was moving pretty slow, he could probably go back inside and take a nap at this rate.

 

Then again if he did that he wouldn't have the amusement of watching the guard practically mentally struggle not to tell him off.

 

There was also the fact that Undyne was still pretty pissed about her destroyed dampener.

 

After his argument with her and Blue earlier she'd enjoyed giving him another dose of medication. This time in the form of a shot in the arm instead of a pill.

 

_'For better results.'_ She'd claimed, yeah right, she'd just enjoyed enacting a little revenge.

 

Still he had to hand it to her. She'd been meaning to work on his medication for some time to help lower the drowsiness that usually came with a dosage but since it wasn't something he needed to take regularly and she had royal scientist work to do, it had been on the back burner.

 

However with Fell a looming, who knew how long this was going to take, threat, she'd very quickly started to revise the formula.

 

The result for the time being was that, while he could do with a nap currently, it wasn't much worse than his usual level of tiredness.

 

He certainly wasn't going to be falling asleep standing up, that was certain.

 

"Doubtful sir," The guard next to him finally hissed in response to Stretch's comment, pulling him from his thoughts, "But you know you could go out to meet them if it bothers you so much."

 

Chuckling Stretch stood up, popping his spine, "Nah, too lazy for that."

 

Changing his position to lean back on the lab door now, Stretch pulled a long drag on his cigarette this time. He didn't try to form the smoke, just let it circle and dissipate above him in the uncomfortable Hotland heat.

 

He'd forgotten how warm it was out here after being constantly inside the cool conditions of Undyne's lab. She was lucky she wasn't too far from the core, he couldn't imagine the wiring being able to handle an energy draw so massive coming from Snowdin.

 

In fact sometimes he was amazed how well New Home held up.

 

They'd probably have to look into the wiring sometime soon, Stretch's old man had planned well but the power grid was probably overdue for some work now that he thought about it.

 

Maybe he'd ask to work on it with Undyne. She'd probably accept.

 

Snorting Stretch couldn't believe this. Was he actually considering the future? For the first time in ages?

 

_'I guess I owe Red and Fell something at least.'_ He chuckled to himself.

 

Suddenly the door he was leaning on opened, making him fall backward and hit the ground hard.

 

Stretch glared at the guard, who was fighting and failing, to suppress a chuckle.

 

"There you are!" Blue said frantically, helping Stretch off the ground with ease, "We've got a problem. Red appears to be on the move, fast."

 

Staring at the device in Blue's hand Stretch could see that he was correct. The dot showing Red's position was quickly barreling down tunnels in Waterfall, like he was...running.

 

"That can't be good," Stretch sighed, "I'm not even sure where the hell he's going."

 

The movement of the blip was almost erratic as it headed down one section of tunnel on the map only to then backtrack and flip around to another after a moment. However it seemed like all of Red's choices were attempting to lead him in a particular direction.

 

If they were his choices.

 

If Red wasn't being herded.

 

"Do you think it could be Fell," Blue asked, putting a voice to their shared concern.

 

"We need to get out there," Stretch said, grabbing hold of Blue's arm.

 

Before either of them could act though, the door guard stopped them, "You should take one of the replacements with you," He said, "Doesn't hurt to have extra back up in a fight."

 

He had a point, Stretch had to admit, the way Red had gone on about Fell and the fact that he'd escaped unharmed from Alphys detention center were pretty worrying. But at the same time, having an extra person around could complicate things. Especially since they were trying to talk to Fell, not fight him.

 

As if sensing his concern Blue said, "I think it's a good idea as well."

 

"You sure," Stretch asked. He sighed when Blue nodded and said, "Okay, we'll do it your way Blue."

 

Together they ran towards the approaching guard unit.

 

When they were close enough the leader of the unit gave the signal to stop, his men and women quickly halting behind him.

 

Blue saluted sharply, recognizing Felix as the leader of the unit, "Sir," He said, "I'm afraid there's been a complication."

 

"At ease Cadet," Felix said, "What's happened?"

 

"Red has left the lab," Blue explained, deciding to omit the exact reason why for the time being, "We have reason to believe he could be in trouble."

 

Quickly Blue explained the tracking device and Red's current, rather erratic, pattern of movement. The two bantered back and forth while Stretch waited impatiently.

 

At first Felix intended to order the entire troop to go with them but Blue protested that idea saying, "My brother is going to teleport us as close to Red's position as possible, he wouldn't be able to take everyone with him and there's no time to wait for all of us to march out there."

 

Nodding Felix sighed, "Alright Cadet, I don't like this but I agree given the circumstances that we don't have a lot of options. However, if this is a battle I want you to get in, get your friend and then get out. No playing the hero, understand."

 

"Yes sir," Blue said, though Stretch could see the slight twist of annoyance in his eye socket.

 

Not noticing Felix turned to the waiting unit behind him, "Any volunteers to assist Cadet Sans? Preferably before I have to pick someone."

 

One soldier in the far back raised their hand, "Sir," He said, his voice low and echoing from inside his lowered helmet.

 

Raising an eyebrow in surprise at how quickly that had been resolved Felix nodded and said, "Alright, good luck to you three," Before he and the rest of the unit proceeded onward to the lab.

 

Blue and the guard offered a respectful and brief salute before turning to Stretch who took hold of both their arms.

 

"Okay," Stretch said, "Show me the device."

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> >.> What? That's not Fell! What are you talking about!
> 
> Thank you guys for your patience! I mentioned on my Tumblr that shits been hitting the fan this year, AND IT'S ONLY MAY!! After a visit from family in February both my cats took it in turn, A WEEK APART, to get sick in March. No worries they are both okay. The culprit was food in both cases.
> 
> Then in April, I GOT sick, which I'm still getting over...hopefully...bit up in the air but I do feel better. However, two days after that I found out one of my Aunt's passed away. :<   
> So things have been not good here.  
> Add to that work has become rather crazy with the implimentation of a new process that BACKFIRED and we are STILL dealing with the fallout weeks later. This will probably go on for months but at this point writing, along with playing Dark Souls 3 for the millionth time, have been big sources of stress relief. 
> 
> As you can see Hollow now has a definitive number of chapters :) All of the remaining chapters have first drafts! Yay!
> 
> Thank you again for reading and sticking this out with me. Please feel free to bug me on tumblr under hollowredskele :D.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

 

They arrived deep within Waterfall with the crackle of teleportation magic followed by the smell of ozone. Blue stumbled, slightly disorientated as he got his bearings and adjusted to the temperature difference. Aside from the noise of their entrance the tunnels around them were oddly, oppressively silent.

 

Even the usual drip of water that could be heard everywhere in Waterfall seemed muffled and odd.

 

Perhaps it was the tension in the group, Blue concluded to himself as Stretch briefly leaned against the tunnel wall, appearing dizzy.

 

His brothers cursing grumble was low, as even with the shot Undyne had given him earlier his magic remained a bit touchy. The argument with Red and subsequent slap in the face from Blue and Undyne hadn't helped either, even if it had been sorely needed.

 

Right now Stretch really just wanted to take a nap in order to calm his fluctuating emotional state.

 

"Are you okay," Blue asked, putting a hand out to help steady Stretch when he stood back up.

 

Stretch waved him off with a muttered fine, the momentary dizzy spell already passing, "Sorry I couldn't get us closer," He said. He had been aiming to get the next tunnel over, but his teleportation had become far too straining after this being the third one today. So he'd dropped them out where he could.

 

"It's alright," Blue said, he turned down to the device, his face lighting up, "We're only a couple tunnels away. How about you," He asked turning to the guard, who seemed fine, not even remotely bothered by the sudden change in location. Blue rather admired how unflappable he seemed.

 

The guard only nodded, muttering that he was fine.

 

Turning back to the device Blue traced the Underground map displayed on the screen, pausing and orientating himself within the tunnel around them, "Looks like Red's in that direction."

 

With an affirmative nod from the guard the three began to move down the tunnel at a brisk jog. Something Stretch didn't particularly enjoy. Honestly, after this, he was beginning to think he deserved a month off and his sentry job could stuff it.

 

For several minutes they ran, Blue pulling ahead of them and shouting out directions while the guard took up the rear. Alternately they called for Red in case he could hear them; their voices echoing down the tunnels. Finally they came to a four-way fork in the path causing them to pause as Blue checked their heading more closely.

 

"Which way," Stretch questioned, looking over the device with Blue, and unfortunately blocking most of the light. Blue shooed him back so he could see.

 

"It looks like he stopped," Blue said, "Maybe he heard us!" At least that's what Blue hoped it was. He hoped it wasn't because Fell had caught Red, "This way," Blue said, pointing to the leftmost fork.

 

Blinking Stretch suddenly realized where they were, "This is near where Red and I fought yesterday. Undyne and I spoke over here."

 

"Which means there could be a lot of debris up ahead," Blue nodded, "We could use that to our advantage if Fell is with Red, maybe we can lure him into a-"

 

"Sorry about this," The guard whispered, almost too softly to hear before striking Stretch from behind with a red bone club. There was no intent to kill in the strike, just to incapacitate but regardless Stretch was glad his HP wasn't as low as it used to be once upon a time.

 

He went down as he was slammed forward into the tunnel wall.

 

"Papyrus," Blue cried out, dodging an attack thrown at him.

 

Head reeling and face stinging from being introduced to the rocks, Stretch shook his skull as he picked himself off the ground. Blue had formed a bone attack of his own, meeting another of the guard's red attacks head-on.

 

The two clashed, attacks striking against each other with a loud crackle of meeting energies and the solid thud of bone before locking in place. Blue's shorter stature meant his attacker had greater leverage on him though and Stretch could see his arms shaking with the strain.

 

"Fell," Stretch called out, throwing a honey colored bone attack of his own towards the guards back. Just before it struck home Fell dropped and rolled out of the way forcing Blue to leap aside to avoid being hit by mistake.

 

"Watch it," Blue hissed, his attention already back on Fell who had now ripped his helmet off leaving no doubt to his identity.

 

Smirking Fell held up Undyne's device in his hand, "Thanks," He said before a wave of bones shot up between them leaving Blue and Stretch cut off; trapped on the wrong side of the tunnel.

 

"Wait," Stretch yelled, trying to be heard through the bones, "Fell, the experiment it's-" But the sound of muffled footsteps running off stopped him, "Dammit," He hissed in frustration.

 

Looking over the wall of bone Blue struck it with an attack of his own, the red bones shimmered slightly where it struck but remained annoyingly solid, only making a dull thud. There wasn't even a scratch, "It'll take too long to get through this just using bone attacks," He shook his head, "We have to go around."

 

"No," Stretch said firmly, "That'll take way too long," He paused weighing his options and cursing silently.

 

_'Is there no other way?'_ He thought. There didn't seem to be. Going around or through using regular attacks would eat precious time Red didn't have.

 

He had to.

 

"I'll blast through it."

 

"Papyrus, are you sure? I mean, your magic levels are still iffy right? Undyne said you shouldn't push yourself and-"

 

"I know," Stretch sighed, "But what choice do we have," He looked over at Blue sadly, "Sorry."

 

"For what," Blue asked.

 

"I dunno, for not telling your sooner, for scaring you...before."

 

"I wasn't scared of you," Blue said with a shaky smile, "I was scared for you."

 

***

 

Snarling Red stamped his paw in frustration. He was at another fork in the tunnels and worse he'd lost the scent of sulfur after coming to a dead end previously. The scent had been on the other side of a rock fall too large for him to pass.

 

If he'd had more magic he'd have considered trying a blind teleport, consequences be damned.

 

_'Maybe I should be thankful I don't have that luxury,'_ He thought, shuddering slightly as he imagined getting stuck in the rock fall.

 

Then again the longer he was stuck in the tunnels the more likely it was that Stretch and Blue were in danger.

 

_'Why do you care?'_ He asked himself, not for the first time.

 

Stretch had tried to capture him, _'Is that a Papyrus thing,'_ He wondered. And he didn't even know Blue well. But still.

 

Blue had been nothing but kind to him this whole time, even before he'd regained his consciousness and Stretch was pretty fun to pun around with.

 

...And they were safe.

 

It's not like either of them would try stabbing him in the back.

 

Okay maybe Stretch would but it would have to be for a damned good reason and not just because he was easy experience.

 

_< Why does Waterfall have to be such a fucking maze?>_ He grumbled cursing that his Underfell mental map was absolutely useless here. Why did Underfell have fewer closed off tunnels! Shouldn't it be the complete opposite!

 

And there were more splits in the tunnels too.

 

Learning to navigate this place was going to be a nightmare.

 

He paused, _'Oh no, you are not thinking of staying here,'_ He chided himself. Though he had to admit the thought was appealing.

 

Provided Fell wasn't dead at the end of this.

 

If he was then...

 

...Then Red didn't know what he would do.

 

Shaking himself free of the rabbit hole his thoughts were quickly descending into, he peered down the two tunnels ahead of him before choosing the one on the right with a shrug.

 

The air felt warmer as he ran and hope sparked in his soul, there was even another faint whiff of sulfur, so this had to be it, it had to-

 

_< Dammit!> _He hissed. The tunnel didn't lead to Hotland, instead it emptied out into a dead end cavern with a large bubbling hot spring. Its wide pool steaming near the center, _< That's the wrong fucking sulfur smell!>_

 

He tore at the ground in frustration, before turning around with a sigh, _< Maybe the left tu->_

 

Red froze, for a moment he thought he'd heard a metallic clink. It had been quiet but he could've sworn-

 

He heard it again, barely discernible over the bubbling of the spring, it sounded like...someone moving in armor, _< Blue?>_ Red called, even though he knew Blue wouldn't understand him. His soul flipped, a strained sinking feeling twisting him up inside.

 

Blue had put on a set of armor this morning before Red and Stretch had left...but still...

 

Something felt wrong.

 

Sniffing the air Red called out again but received no answer and this close to the spring he couldn't smell anything over the sulfur. For several long minutes he peered back into the tunnel, waiting. But nothing happened. No one answered Red or called out for him and the sound had stopped.

 

_'Maybe I imagined it,'_ Red thought. The situation did have him pretty stressed out so it was possible. _'Could've been a distant group of guards,'_ He reasoned, _'Alphys probably called some people from Waterfall or something.'_

 

That was probably it. Sound did funny things in these tunnels and not for the first time in his life Red felt a shuddering pressure at the reminder that they were all stuck deep underground. Still if it was other guards then if Red could find them he might be able to get them to take him back to Hotland.

 

Nodding at what seemed like a solid plan, Red made to move back toward the tunnel but froze. The feeling of wrongness was growing more intense, firmly holding his paws in place.

 

He felt like he was being watched.

 

Chiding himself Red took a step forward, _'You're being stupid Sans.'_

 

Still the sensation persisted and seemed to be growing more intense as he froze again, the minutes ticking by in agonizing slowness.

 

Faintly his bones began to rattle, _< There's nothing there,>_ Red hissed, wishing he could slap himself out of it. Sadly he lacked a hand to do that and his paws were only so flexible.

 

Forcing himself another step forward felt impossible though and his eye-lights would not stop staring at the pitch black of the tunnel.

 

Viciously Red did the only thing he could think of to snap himself out of it, he clawed at his left front leg.

 

The sharp sting of his claws scratching and chipping the bone caused the anxiety to subside some, he took a deep, unneeded breath, _'See, nothing-'_

 

He caught the familiar scent a split second before a crimson bone attack erupted from the ground below him, striking him in the back leg as he desperately threw himself to the side to avoid it.

 

_< FUCK!>_ Red cursed, his leg burning from a deep gash across his ankle.

 

If he had been just a second later though that attack would've completely severed his foot, _< Papyrus,>_ Red called out reflexively but he knew it was no good. There was no way his brother could understand him like this.

 

Throwing himself backwards to avoid another attack, this one materializing above him, Red realized he was in deep shit. This cave was a dead end and the only way out was the tunnel he'd come in from.

 

The same one Fell was currently hiding in just out of sight in the darkness.

 

_< Boss,> _He tried again, more out of desperation than anything, _< Please don't do this!>_

 

Red swiped at a small bone dart flying towards him that had been meant to distract from the large bone erupting from the ground. He dodged that with another jump to the side but his injured back leg nearly gave out when he landed.

 

Pulling it up as high as he could Red shakily stood on three legs, his injuries dripping with marrow and magic. There was no way Fell would give him enough breathing room to transform. Red was a sitting duck in this cave.

 

Worse, Fell knew it too; knew that Red's only recourse was to charge the tunnel, which meant that's exactly what Fell wanted him to do. There was no way out.

 

His magic was still low and it would be risky but he could force a tele-

 

Several bones flew at him in quick succession, Red barely managed to dodge them in time. He rolled in the dirt, _< Fuck there's just no time!>_

 

Magic pooling in his maw Red's soul soured at the taste of the building blast attack, he let it loose aiming for the top of the tunnel entrance on the cavern side. If he could block the way in then-

 

A bone grazed his muzzle, causing his shot to go wide. It hit the ground and the base of the tunnel, knocking loose only a bit of stone but nowhere near enough to block the entrance. A cloud of dust flew into the air obscuring Red's vision.

 

Turning, a sudden idea striking him, Red bolted for the spring while Fell's view was also obscured. Despite the lack of sight Fell continued to throw attacks blindly at him. Dodging bones and darts inaccurately hurled in every direction, some nowhere near him, Red made it to the edge of the spring.

 

Just barely.

 

The water was almost uncomfortably warm as he threw himself into the pool, but his gamble looked like it would pay off.

 

The spring seemed to drop away into a deep recess underwater. Hoping it was deep enough, Red dove in. He sank quickly, since skeletons weren't really made for swimming, and had to fight down a wave of panic.

 

Since his soul didn't really need air he couldn't drown but he could fall apart if he was submerged underwater too long. The magic that circulated through skeleton bones and held them together was prone to becoming diluted when their soul was completely submerged.

 

Forcing himself to remain calm, Red fought the urge to thrash. The dust up above had probably cleared by now and he would be out of Fell's sight, forcing him to enter the cave to look for Red. All Red had to do was wait for Fell to get close.

 

Digging his claws into the rock around him Red positioned himself quickly to watch the springs bubbling surface, _'Wish I had enough juice for a fucking teleport.'_ He cursed.

 

Of course he could try it now, while underwater...

 

However, a quick check of his magic dissuaded him. Between that blast and his injuries, his levels were seriously compromised. A teleport, if even successful, could outright kill him.

 

One thing was for certain, if this trick didn't work...he was dead.

 

_'And I went on and on about how good Papyrus is and how he'd catch Stretch off guard if he wasn't careful. Turns out I'm the fucking idiot who got caught with his pants down.'_

 

Soul pulsing in fear, his injured legs burning, he sighed internally, _'How the fuck are you getting out of this one Sans?'_

 

***

 

Out of respect, Blue turned away to give Stretch at least a shred of privacy.

 

Of course if Stretch had it his way he wouldn't be doing this at all. If the last few days hadn't run him ragged in fact, he'd have teleported past the barrier but...

 

Well if he tried it currently he'd be as good as useless on the other side so that just wasn't an option. Transforming was quick and his beast form gave him at least a temporary boost though they couldn't count on it lasting long.

 

Aside from punching through the barrier in front of them there were other advantages changing gave Stretch. Such as an enhanced sense of smell that would let him track down Fell easier now that the tracker was gone.

 

_"It will also surprise him,"_ Blue had reasoned earlier and Stretch had to admit he was right.

 

Fell had no idea there were two blaster experiments.

 

Kicking off his shoes with a sigh Stretch was glad he'd gone for loose pants today and that his injured leg was in good shape. It still twinged a bit from time to time but it didn't impede his movement at least.

 

_'When this is over,'_ He thought, closing his sockets and poking at his magic, _'I'm sleeping for a week straight at least.'_

 

He supposed he should be grateful for the exhaustion actually, it meant he wouldn't be likely to dream and could get some decent rest.

 

Stretch's internal magical trigger was slow to respond, probably owing to Undyne's medication, and required more of a mental push then usual. Or maybe it was his reluctance. He was, after all, in a tunnel in Waterfall with his brother.

 

Rarely used back tunnel or no it was still basically 'in public'. He had to admit the thought didn't make an already uncomfortable situation any more bearable. He managed to push through, reminding himself that without this Red was as good as dead and from the sounds of their world's Gaster, Stretch was uncertain Fell was safe either.

 

Even if he was an asshole.

 

Really Stretch shouldn't care. Logically he owed Red nothing, barely knew the guy, even if he had a great sense of humor; and Fell was a dick so far as Stretch was concerned.

 

_'But it's the right thing to do,'_ His internal voice that sounded like Blue reminded him and as much as he wanted to say hang the right thing he just couldn't. Maybe it was because Fell and Red were brothers like them.

 

Maybe it was because Red had gone through an even worse traumatic event that made him what he currently was, which in that case he better not ever tell Red that. Red would see that line of thinking as pity and what little Stretch was sure he knew of the guy told him that pity would be an insult.

 

Even if it was sympathy not pity.

 

Then again, Stretch thought, feeling the first wave of numbness quickly falling over him as he ceased fighting himself, maybe sympathy was a foreign concept in Underfell.

 

Falling to all fours as his legs shifted, Stretch avoided looking down at himself, instead he focused on Blue. He felt a pang of guilt as with every crack of bone that rang through the air Blue visibly flinched. Unable to stand causing his brother so much distress, Stretch looked away and focused on the rock around them instead.

 

The cool stone looked inviting as sensation returned to his aching limbs.

 

_< It's over,> _He said, despite the fact that Blue would no longer be able to understand him.

 

Cautiously Blue turned, "Sorry," He said, looking ashamed, "I'm still not used to the sound."

 

Shaking his head Stretch leaned against Blue, the only type of comfort he could really offer like this, _< You shouldn't have to get used to it.> _ He said.

 

He nudged Blue a final time and accepted the almost absent-minded rub to the head Blue gave him before turning to the barrier blocking their path.

 

Sniffing Stretch inhaled the unique scent of Fell's magic which stung and burned at his nose causing him to recoil.

 

The scent was harsh, almost artificial and definitely unlike any other type of magic he'd worked with before, _'What the hell do they do to themselves in Underfell?'_ It was a good question, especially since magic was supposed to be a reflection of the monster using it, but both Fell and Red....

 

Their magics seemed like they weren't an actual part of them.

 

Turning away from the barrier Stretch nudged Blue back several steps before inhaling deeply, a white light growing in-between his slightly parted jaws. He waiting for Blue to cover his sockets with an arm at the intensity before letting the attack fly at the barrier of bone.

 

The concentrated magical energy hit squarely in the center, shattering the bones into tiny fragments that glittered in the dim tunnel before fading out like the embers of a dying fire.

 

"Stars," Blue breathed, blinking to adjust his eye-lights, which quickly turned into star shapes, "That was...amazing!"

 

Grumbling in embarrassment, Stretch rolled his eye-lights before walking through the now destroyed barrier. He put his nose to the ground, inhaling deeply to pick up Fell's trail. Stretch's eye-lights could barely see boot prints in the dirt around them.

 

_'That's impressive in full armor,'_ He thought, glad that he didn't have to rely on a visual trail. Taking in another long inhale, Stretch barked before bolting down the tunnel ahead of them, Blue hot on his paws.

 

Stretch had to admit, as he ran full tilt through the tunnels, Blue keeping pace beside him, it felt good to be working with his brother. In fact it reminded him of when they were kids, all the trouble they would get into. If Gaster wasn't already a skeleton he'd have gone bald from hair pulling they'd been so much trouble. He wished, not for the first time, that Blue could remember their father and fought not to drown in guilt.

 

He'd save those thoughts for later.

 

If there was a later.

 

A new scent came to him as they ran, a mix of mustard, coffee and cigarette smoke. A scent that Stretch knew had to be Red. They had to be getting close now and despite the long run Blue didn't even seem winded.

 

They both stopped short as the sudden sound of a blast echoed through the tunnels.

 

"Red," Blue said worriedly.

 

 

 


	19. Chapter 19

Coughing from the rising dust Fell covered his mouth and nasal cavity. It proved difficult to accomplish in armor though causing him to curse and wish he still had Red's coat or at least his scarf. Through teary sockets he watched the dust settle back down and realized the experiment had disappeared from view.

 

"Dammit," He hissed, moving from the shadowed dip in the tunnel wall he'd been hiding against.

 

Pausing before stepping out of the tunnel mouth Fell considered where his target might've gone. There was no other tunnel into or out of this cavern, and other then some small dislodged rocks from the creatures failed attack there was nowhere feasible to hide.

 

Unless...

 

Forming two bones Fell sprinted toward the tunnel mouth, throwing them to either side as he emerged. For good measure he dove into a roll as well, his armor clanking noisily from the movement. Both attacks landed in solid rock at either end of the cavern with no sign of the experiment.

 

Turning quickly around in case the creature had scaled the rock wall somehow and gotten above the tunnel entrance, Fell dropped into a battle stance. But he was met with only more rock.

 

He hummed to himself, relaxing, if only outwardly, and turning a slow circle in thought. The experiment couldn't have gotten out of this cavern. Even with the dust, Fell would've seen it try to slip past or attack him from his position against the tunnel wall.

 

It wasn't on any of the rock faces and Gaster's data hadn't given any indication the creature could somehow cloak itself, _'Though...it would be like the bastard to leave something out.'_ Which was true enough, but something like that would be valuable information to assist in the experiments capture so he severely doubted it.

 

That left only one option, the spring.

 

Fell had thought the water was shallow but if the pond was deep enough it might have an underwater exit, "That thing would have to be a fool to even attempt that," He growled. It was a skeleton creature, had it no sense of self-preservation?

 

But if it had an exit and the experiment by some miracle survived who knew where it would come out? Hell for all he knew there was a secret exit to the surface. _'And wouldn't that just be a laugh,'_ He thought with a snarl, ' _Monster kinds salvation comes with a risk of drowning.'_

 

_'Wait, the device,'_ Fell realized, pulling out the tracker from the pouch at his side that he'd stolen from this universes Sans and Papyrus, he smirked.

 

The experiments signature was still in this room.

 

It wasn't moving.

 

And it was directly ahead of him.

 

_'Not deep enough to get away then,'_ He chuckled, summoning another attack. Eventually, that thing would have to surface, nothing could resist the will to live indefinitely after all.

 

***

 

_'Fuck,'_ Red growled, the sound muffled and slow underwater. Desperation raced through his soul as a creeping static began to inch through his claws and tail. The first sign that the magic in his extremities was failing, that his soul was becoming waterlogged.

 

Even invisible his soul pounded, fighting to push his life force to all parts of his being.

 

But Fell still hadn't come to the edge of the pool, _'What the hell is he waiti-'_

 

He'd fucked up, Fell was waiting for him, he knew Red couldn't stay underwater indefinitely, of course he did. _'Fuck, fuck fuck,'_ Red cursed, realizing his error, of course Fell wouldn't race to the water's edge to capture him like some cheap thug with more brawn than brains. Of course he would know that Red would have to come out eventually or he'd die.

 

_'Should've climbed the wall or at least tried to run past, maybe that would've worked! Or hidden to the side of the tunnel mouth, or even, fuck I should've tried to bring down more rocks! Something, anything other then this,'_ He thought as panic began to set in.

 

He could no longer feel the end of his tail he realized. Looking behind him there didn't seem to be any detached bones floating to the bottom so he still had time. But he'd already been submerged for a good minute...

 

Maybe longer, he really hadn't kept track.

 

Kicking off the rock he'd been clinging to in order to keep himself from sinking any further, Red cursed that he couldn't just run underwater as he made for the end of the pool that sloped upward. His exit would be slow and leave him vulnerable to attack but what choice did he have?

 

If he just kicked himself out of the water like he'd been planning Fell might shoot him out of the air. At least with exiting via the slope, he could attempt to dodge...

 

Attempt being the operative word of course.

 

_'I am seriously fucked.'_

 

***

 

Fell tensed as the pond water began to stir at the far end, "Finally," He sighed. Soon it would be all over, he'd bring back Gaster's experiment, minus one limb, maybe two to make the thing easier to control and Sans would be alright.

 

_'Unless he's already dead,'_ His mind supplied unhelpfully, reminding him it'd been over a week since he'd left and Gaster had said he was in critical condition. He growled, telling himself sternly to "Shut up," before focusing back on the pond.

 

The experiments muzzle broke the water first as Fell watched. It tried to move quickly but its movement was sluggish and drunken from it's prolonged submersion.

 

Patiently he began to take aim, waiting until he saw it. The creatures paw leaving the water and touching dry earth.

 

Pulling his arm back he let-

 

A blue bone flew at him from out of nowhere, whizzing past Fell's skull and knocking the red attack clean out of his hand. Rage bubbling to the surface as he turned back to the tunnel behind him.

 

His rage turned from hot to cold though at what he saw.

 

This universes Sans and beside him....

 

...another experiment.

 

Another experiment that was wearing a sickeningly orange colored hoodie. Just like the one this universes Papyrus wore, Right down to the ash stains around the collar from smoking.

 

His mind raced, "What the hell," He snarled out. It wasn't possible, this had to be some kind of joke. Or a sham, this universes Sans must've come up with some clever ruse but...

 

_'There's no way he went back to the lab and made it here in such a short amount of time.'_ Fell couldn't deny that. Which meant that thing, had to be this universes Papyrus.

 

Which meant, _'Nothing, it means nothing. Just because he's somehow one of these things doesn't mean anything. And if Gaster experimented on some random monster then what does it matter?! Sans is dying.'_

 

"Fell you have to listen," Blue shouted, another bone attack already in his hands, "The experiment you're hunting, it's-"

 

"Like your brother," Fell smirked, "I see. I wonder if bringing two back would be better then one." At the very least it might guarantee Gaster would let him and Sans leave without any possible deals having to be struck. After all even if Stretch didn't have the exact same mutation as the experiment it would at least be a shiny new toy for the bastard.

 

Blue blinked, "What, no Fell you don't understand," He said, Stretch already growling beside him, "The monster you're hunting-"

 

"Sentient at some point," Fell added with a nod, "It would make sense from an efficiency standpoint and that bastard is all about efficiency," He summoned another bone attack to his hand, keeping his peripheral vision on his original target.

 

It had finally completely emerged from the water but was gasping, struggling to pull itself up, Fell needed to end this before it recovered.

 

"It's doesn't matter to me," Fell said, flicking his finger almost imperceptibly.

 

_< Shit,> _Red snapped, barely managing to roll out of the way as a red attack appeared almost directly underneath him, _< He won't listen Blue!>_ If only Fell could understand him; if only Blue could understand him! Red growled, but they couldn't, not in the form he was in right now, not like this...

 

_< Fuck this is gonna hurt. Stretch,>_ Red called to the one person in this cavern who could understand him currently, _< Keep him busy but don't you dare fucking dust him!>_

 

Red's barking caused Fell to turn expecting an attack from him but instead Fell found himself having to quickly dodge a charge to his back from the orange-clad bestial Papyrus, "How coordinated of you," Fell growled, quickly swiping out with a bone attack.

 

He fell back in surprise though as his attack only connected with air. It seemed Stretch, as he'd called himself previously, in this form was far faster then Gaster's experiment. The next thing Fell knew he was being body slammed from the side before he could turn to fend off another charge.

 

"What are you doing," Blue called out as Fell toppled over.

 

Unable to speak Stretch just gave a sharp bark back at Blue before having to get out of the way of several bone attacks thrown by Fell as he went down. Angered, Blue threw his own attacks, aiming not for Fell but for several more flying attacks he'd also summoned.

 

Fell retreated several steps to the side, now making him further away from Red, who, Blue could see, was doubled over on the pond bank, trembling, his tail lashing with agitation. It took only a second to realize what Stretch and Red were trying to do.

 

"I think I see," Blue said, quickly darting in to engage Fell, using his shorter stature to get under another attack Fell had aimed at Stretch who was again mid-charge. Blue easily knocked the attack off course with his own and summoning a second bone in his off hand he swiped at Fell, causing him to give more ground, but it wouldn't last.

 

Only momentarily caught off guard Blue soon found himself having to roll backwards, away from a red bone that erupted from the ground where he'd been standing. He almost hadn't made it through the roll. His armor making the motion clumsy and a bit slow, "Stupid trainee armor," He hissed, sending his own attack through the ground as he moved.

 

Fell didn't back or sidestep this time, but charged forward, lighting fast, coming straight for Blue, he completely ducked under Stretch's lunge to his flank as he closed in and smacking Stretch with an attack across the muzzle.

 

"Brother," Blue cried out, watching Stretch fall and roll along the ground, he barely got his own bone attack up in time to block Fell's downward strike. Attacks locked together, he stood there, arms trembling under the strain, his eye-lights darting to Stretch.

 

"This doesn't concern you," Fell growled, "But I will kill you if I have to."

 

Blue knew that wasn't a threat, it was a promise. Fell might not be throwing much intent into his attacks currently but if he started to...

 

...His eye-lights darted back to Stretch who was struggling to pick himself off the ground.

 

He was certainly a lot more durable then Blue had ever realized but he only had about a hundred hit points and a quick check of Fell....

 

Blue shuddered at what that revealed. Fell had more level than any monster he'd ever seen in his time so far with the royal guard. Fell had killed, even if he had spared others here in Underswap, there was no denying that Fell was capable of carrying through on his statement.

 

Suppressing a nervous rattle, forcing himself to stay calm Blue said, "We don't want to fight you either! But Red is our friend and more importantly, he's-"

 

A red bone erupted from the ground, slamming into Blue's exposed side. He doubled over, hitting the ground hard but again there was no intent behind Fell's attack, "That was your last warning," He heard Fell growl coldly.

 

"Whoever that experiment was doesn't matter," Fell said, "And it's life is worth nothing next to my mission! I'm bringing this thing back for my brother, understand!"

 

"Wow boss," Red coughed weakly, his voice strained with pain from the transformation, "I-I thought I didn't...didn't m-matter." He lay on the pond bank, trembling, staring across at Fell whose sockets had flown wide in shock.

 

"Sans," Fell said voice cracked with confusion, "Sans!" Attacks disappearing from his hands, Fell ran through the shallow end of the spring towards his brother. His knees hit the ground next to a rattling Red; he reached out in disbelief.

 

***

 

The incessant ticking of the laboratory clock had Undyne gnawing at her lower lip in worry. It had been far too long since Blue and Stretch had left with that guard to find Red. The boxes from the morning shipment were already unloaded; the new guards had replaced the old and one had even joined her inside to begin setting up traps.

 

She sighed, opening up another box to distract herself as the guard worked on the other side of the room. _'Just need a distraction,'_ She thought, _'That's all. They'll be back before I know it...safe and sound...yep...'_

 

A familiar noxious ringtone went off on her phone, startling her out of her thoughts. Quickly she fumbled for her phone, bringing it to her ear fin, "There you are Stretch! Did you find Red?"

 

"We found him," Blue's voice answered, not Stretch's and immediately Undyne was on high alert, "We also," Blue continued, "Found Fell."

 

"WHAT," Undyne screeched, startling the guard into dropping a metal sensor, "Is everyone okay?!"

 

"Everyone's fine," Blue said soothingly, "Well, for the most part. We're just a little banged up is all. We're on our way back to the lab with Fell so if you could tell the guards not to consider this a hostage situation, that would be great."

 

"Okay," Undyne sighed, "I'll let them know...but are you sure about-"

 

"Fell is safe to be around," Blue interrupted firmly, "Please call Alphys and tell her he's been reasoned with and she can call back the alert."

 

Undyne chewed at her lip again, she trusted Blue but what if Fell was-

 

"Please Undyne," Blue said, "Red really needs your help right now."

 

She sighed, "Alright, give me a few minutes. I'll call back when it's safe to get close to the lab."

 

"Thank you."

 

Hanging up Undyne felt a mixture of relief and nerves pull at her. She took several deep breaths and assured the guard she'd startled that everything was alright as well as Blue's message. He'd left quickly to go inform the others on duty.

 

Now that just left Alphys. Nervously Undyne entered in the guard captains phone number.

 

***

 

Alphys had been less than thrilled with the situation, and had expressed concern that this could all be a trap. Undyne had argued how that wouldn't have made sense if Fell already had Red. To which Alphys had reluctantly agreed. In the end, Alphys had insisted on at least coming down to the lab in person to check things out and that her guards were not to simply be dismissed just yet.

 

It had taken another hour of telephone, however, to get everything smoothed out as Blue had not been a fan of Alphys coming down. It had ended in a conference call, to keep Undyne in the loop, where Alphys had put her foot down or rather reminded Blue of her rank before everyone had reluctantly agreed.

 

Presently Alphys, who had quickly traveled to the lab after the call, and Undyne were standing in front of the lab, warily watching the four brothers approach. Blue and Stretch, now back in normal form, were walking side by side at the front of the group with a defeated and tired looking Fell following behind them.

 

He seemed different now then the prideful monster Alphys remembered. Likely due to Red, who he was carrying carefully, almost as if he would break. Alphys realized she'd never seen Red in a normal form, only his bestial one, and watching as Fell carried him she felt concern.

 

Red seemed weak and he shook violently, though they were too far away still for her to hear the rattling of his bones. Red and Fell were talking, their mouths moving in hushed tones that even when they got closer were still impossible to make out.

 

"I need to prepare the lab," Undyne said, bolting back inside and Alphys did not miss the slight mist of tears under her glasses as she left.

 

The brothers halted respectfully in front of Alphys who looked them over with a stern poker face. It seemed Fell couldn't be bothered with masks at the moment though, his voice quiet and rough, "Captain," he said, maybe even a touch respectfully.

 

"I take it you won't cause any trouble," Alphys questioned, still maintaining her own facade.

 

"No," Fell sighed, "I only came here to help my brother."

 

"I can respect that," Alphys answered, looking fondly at Blue before stepping aside and allowing them all entrance.

 

"That being said," Fell's volume rose harshly, "I have several complaints about the inadequacies of your guard units!"

 

***

 

Sighting Stretch leaned back in his desk chair, _'What a day,'_ He thought as he sipped at a cup of coffee Undyne had given him hours ago. It was cold now, and pretty disgusting if he was being honest, but he really wanted to get everything down on paper.

 

He'd found over the months that it was something of a soothing activity for him, writing down daily events. Even though he'd originally started doing it out of fear of forgetting something. With everything going on he hadn't been able to do it for the last few days so the chance to let out some of his anxiety was refreshing.

 

Leaning forward he tapped his notepad in thought before picking up where he'd left off. His pen scratching across the pages rhythmically. The noise was almost loud enough to cover the quiet footsteps entering the room behind him.

 

Stretch knew it couldn't be Blue, his brother was sprawled on the couch across the room, a blanket pulled up to his chin after finally giving in to his exhaustion. And it couldn't be Alphys, she'd gone back to New Home though not without a very long conversation with Fell that he hadn't been privy too.

 

As for Undyne she was likely either passed out in her bedroom or still on the undernet, he hadn't checked his phone in a few hours to see if she was posting and Red?

 

Well likely he was still unconscious from the dose of medication Undyne had given him. It still wasn't a tailored version of course, that would take a lot more time than just a few days but it would help give him a little stability later. He and his brother still had a lot to talk about after all.

 

They had talked some, very quietly, on the way back to Hotland, which Blue and Stretch had done their best not to eavesdrop but he doubted it had been enough. In fact, Fell hadn't left Red's side this entire time, not even for dinner and not even when Red had fallen asleep.

 

Until now anyway.

 

"So you take notes as well," Fell murmured, walking over and leaning against the desk casually. He was still wearing the Underswap guard armor he'd been in yesterday. In fact, he'd refused to tell Alphys where his real clothing was, just saying that he would get it tomorrow and drop off the armor at the detention center in New Home. She hadn't liked accepting that but Fell wouldn't budge.

 

Blinking, Stretch stared at his unexpected guest. The last time they'd actually spoken there had been bars between them, without those he found Fell more than a little intimidating, "I'm sorry?"

 

"San- I mean, Red," Fell said, correcting himself, "When he went missing I broke into the shed he always used behind our house," He sighed looking extremely tired, "My brother kept a lot of journals, most of them just benign daily events. Though I couldn't understand why a few had the same dates multiple times with version numbers next to them... I got the sense though he was...keeping track of time," Fell looked over at Stretch's writing, "It looks like you do something similar."

 

 

Stretch paused before answering, "Your universe...has resets?"

 

"Resets," Fell questioned, tilting his head, "I'm afraid I don't follow."

 

_'So he doesn't know...'_ Stretch sighed, laying his pen down, "It's not important. Really writing stuff down just helps me clear my head. Probably wouldn't be able to sleep otherwise. Maybe it's the same for Red?"

 

"Perhaps," There was a clear undercurrent to Fell's tone though and Stretch knew he thought there was more to it.

 

_'I'll talk to Red about it later,'_ Stretch decided.

 

Silence descended between them for several minutes before Stretch blurted out, "I wanted to apologize actually...for threatening your brother."

 

"Did you know Red was my brother at the time," Fell asked.

 

"I'm sorry?"

 

Fell rolled his eye-lights in exasperation, "When you threatened to kill the experiment you idiot, did you know he was my brother?"

 

Stretch shook his head, "Uh, no...no I didn't find out until I saw him in person and even then it was just a hunch at the time, not anything concrete."

 

"Then there's nothing to apologize for," Fell replied, "You were simply trying to protect your world and your brother."

 

"I guess," Stretch reluctantly agreed. "By the way, thanks."

 

"For," Fell raised a confused brow.

 

"Not dusting anyone...like at all. It's...not what I expected."

 

"Bah," Fell growled, "None of your are worth the effort. The great and terrible Papyrus only dusts those he considers a worthy challenge."

 

"Sure," Stretch chuckled, "But you know, you did knock me flat like, three times and I kept getting up. So I don't know what you would call that if not a challenge."

 

"Stupidity," Fell smirked, "Bonehead stupidity at that."

 

Stretch blinked, _'Did he just?'_ "Well you know," He said with a mischievous smirk, "Blue says I'm a bit, _rib_ diculous."

 

"Do. Not. Start." Fell hissed as Stretch barely managed to maintain his giggles.

 

Silencing himself with a hand over his mouth in order to avoid waking Blue, Stretch wiped his teary sockets. It was several moments before he could speak again, "Sorry, couldn't help myself," he grinned.

 

"Ugh," Fell huffed, "You and Red both."

 

At the mention of his brother Fell turned his head, looking at the still sleeping peacefully Blue. Stretch wasn't entirely sure what he was thinking about but something about the contemplating look on his face was....unnerving.

 

"This isn't a social visit, is it," Stretch asked, "What's wrong?"

 

"I have been thinking," Fell said quietly and immediately Stretch's alarm bells were going off big time.

 

"About?"

  
Fell sighed, picking at the cuff of his gauntlet, his eye-lights looking toward the tiled floor, "My brother. He needs help and there is no one in our universe who would willingly craft medication for him without extracting a.... heavy price or worse... and yet it would be...unwise for neither of us to return."

 

Stretch waited as Fell trailed off. Watching as he went from fiddling with his gauntlet to thumbing the desk's corner, his thoughts looked far away and thinking about it Stretch wondered how exhausting it must be to live in a universe where everyone had an agenda.

 

"Gaster had me use a portal machine he created in order to get here," Fell started speaking again, his voice barely above a whisper, "However the machine was damaged when Red escaped and Gaster was...uncertain it would last more than another few trips. So to reduce stress on it he turned it off after I left."

 

"But how were you supposed to get home then?"

 

"There's a...specific area that he has trans-dimensional cameras set up in," Fell said, "I don't understand the science but I'm supposed to bring Red there. It will alert him and he will turn the machine back on."

 

Trans-dimensional cameras...what Stretch wouldn't give to get his hands on those. Though it did make him uncomfortable, could Gaster have them in other locations as well? _'Stars what if he has them all over the underground.'_

 

"They have limited range," Fell assured him, sensing his concern, "Poor signal strength or some such, especially with the machine off. I had wanted him to give me one originally so I could keep in contact but he explained that wasn't possible."

 

"Well that's a relief...."

 

"Unless he lied," Fell added unhelpfully. "What," He asked noting Stretch's suddenly sour expression, "He's an insane genius. Though thankfully blindly arrogant when he thinks he's winning. At least...that's what I'm counting on."

 

"...Very reassuring."

 

Fell snorted, holding down a chuckle at the sarcasm, "My point," He said once he got himself back under control, "Is that if I don't return Gaster may have an incentive to fully repair the portal machine. ...Or perhaps not, maybe he'd consider it just a lost cause. He isn't the most stable person after all."

 

"Us mad scientist types do tend to be a bit unhinged," Stretch sighed.

 

"Pardon," Fell raised a brow curiously.

 

Stretch waved him off, "Not important, go ahead."

 

Shrugging, though not without giving Stretch a thoughtful look first, Fell continued, "I'm not comfortable knowing Gaster is out there, able to get here and yet... it would be suicide to take Red back. Or at the very least a life of torment."

 

"...Pleasant," Stretch cringed, "but understandable, what are you getting at exactly?" A cold gnawing pit had opened in his soul as he sat there talking with Fell. One that seemed to be getting bigger by the second. Fell couldn't be going with this where Stretch thought he was...could he?

 

"I'm going to give you the location of the portal area Gaster is able to monitor," Fell said, and Stretch felt the pit in his soul become a chasm, as Fell grabbed a spare pen from the desk and an unused sheet of paper, "In the morning go there and destroy the cameras, hell cave in the whole place if you have to, just be thorough."

 

"Fell, you're no-"

 

"And take care of Red for me," He said, writing down the coordinates on the paper before moving to leave the room.

 

Stretch's hand clenched into a fist, "Fell you can't...Red, he's asleep right now, you can't jus-"

 

"Red has kept a great many secrets from me over the years in a misguided attempt to protect me," Fell shook his head sadly, "This time I'm going to protect him. Whether he likes it or not and you know you would do the same," He looked over at Blue who murmured in his sleep, something about nachos, "Wouldn't you?" Fell asked before leaving the room altogether.

 

Gritting his teeth Stretch knew Fell was right.

 

***

 

Yawning Red woke from probably the best sleep he'd had in months. Of course part of that had likely been the medication Undyne had given him. He swore she'd used a stronger dosage this time, even if it had been a shot instead of pills so he couldn't totally be sure. It could of also been exhaustion catching up to him as well.

 

Regardless it had been nice to have a completely dreamless sleep.

 

Red wasn't surprised that Fell wasn't in the room with him when he woke up, his brother was often an early riser and sometimes went without sleep anyway for a day or two. It never seemed to effect him much either. Which was something that always surprised Red.

 

Still, at least it made breaking into their house back in Underfell a losing prospect for anyone dumb enough to try.

 

Not that they ever had thankfully. Red really didn't need to add home invasion to his list of anxieties.

 

Between the long sleep and the medication, his magic felt stable enough that he could change into his normal self for awhile, which was good because he and Fell had several long overdue conversations they needed to continue from yesterday. Though first on the list before the personal shit was what exactly their next plan was.

 

Because Gaster was definitely a loose end Red would rather not leave hanging around. So eventually he would have to be dealt with but in the meantime staying here until Underswap's Undyne got his medication sorted out sounded like the best option to Red.

 

_'Then again,'_ Red thought, _'Maybe it would be better if we went back today and I gave that asshole a nice laser blast to the face.'_ He chuckled, _'We'd be free to come and go with that machine of his. Of course we'd have to move it. Can't have a new royal scientist fucking with it.'_

 

Yeah leaving it in the royal labs back in Underfell definitely did not seem like a good idea.

 

Hopping down from the cot with a yawn Red wondered if Fell had started a pot of coffee. _'I wonder if him, Undyne and Blue are arguing over proper coffee technique,'_ He chuckled again. It was certainly possible. Fell had presented quite a long list of grievances to Captain Alphys yesterday after all.

 

Red had been surprised the Captain had just accepted the criticism, even nodding in agreement in places before thanking Fell, though it had sounded a little strained. He'd actually felt a little bad for her, his brother could be quite the....perfectionist.

 

Locating the bag of clothes Stretch had brought from Snowdin the other day Red took several uncomfortable minutes to switch forms before digging through them. If Blue had sounded appalled at the idea of Red running around bare-boned, he chuckled, Red knew his brother would have an absolute conniption.

 

_'Might be worth it for a laugh,'_ He considered to himself before rejecting the idea, especially when he saw one of the shirts Stretch had packed.

 

"I can't believe he packed this fucking thing," He laughed, staring down at the disgustingly cute cartoon dog shirt. He should be offended, it was such a dumb looking shirt but the fact that he could torment Blue AND Fell with dog puns while wearing it....

 

...Well that was worth a bit of his dignity.

 

_'Like I have any,'_ He thought with a snort, smirking as he left the back room dressed in the dog shirt and a pair of grey shorts.

 

Red's smile fell though when he entered the main lab room. Stretch, Undyne and Blue were sitting there like someone had died. Fell was nowhere to be seen.

 

"Where's my brother," Red asked, fighting to keep the cold fear out of his voice. Because Fell should be here. Right here. Arguing with Blue and Undyne, making coffee, tolerating Stretch or outright snapping at him.

 

He should be right here.

 

Quietly Blue got up from the couch, handing a slightly dented piece of paper to him, his eyes looking anywhere but at Red. He looked at each of them in turn, noting Stretch's quietness was tinged with an almost palpable air of guilt.

 

Red's soul began to twist in an ugly cocktail of horror and abandonment as he looked down at the letter; at Fell's almost perfect handwriting and began to read.

 

 

 

 


	20. Epilogue

It's disgustingly early for almost anyone except Fell. Just barely past midnight when he entered the New Home cavern proper in order to collect his things from the bolt hole. The extra guard patrols have clearly been called off as the streets are completely deserted. Quieter then they've been in days.

The bolt hole is still dustier then he likes and Fell feels disgusted with the way the dust clings to the outside of his makeshift cloak bag. But at least his personal armor and Red's coat are untouched by it. First, he removes the trainee armor he'd been wearing since yesterday, replacing it with his own clothing. Fell pauses though as he picks up Red's jacket.

His fingers slip into the inside pocket, pulling the old picture from it and for a moment he wishes he could keep it.

But he has pictures at home. Stacks of them, even if they are more formal in nature, with both of them acting guarded and stiff. 

But Fell knows Red will need this picture more then he does. So reluctantly he replaces it back into the pocket. He folds the jacket neatly, momentarily placing it in the least dustiest spot he can find while he unties and shakes out his cloak. 

He could just walk down the street without it now of course, but it feels comforting to put it on. Like it makes his decision more real, final, even. 

As he takes Red's jacket and leaves his hideout part of Fell wishes he could still be in the chair next to Red's cot, dozing and waiting for his brother to wake up from his medicine induced slumber. In fact when Red had gone to sleep earlier Fell had marveled that it was the deepest sleep he'd ever seen him in.

It was that, more than anything, that had made him decide, 'He'll do well here,' Fell assured himself. Of course Red will be angry when he wakes up, no matter how well Fell explained himself in the letter he left behind and some part of him still feels he could've worded it better. For Fell though, this is the only logical choice.

Walking up to the detention center is strange as he makes his way across town. Especially since he's fighting the urge to flit from shadow to shadow like a thief in the night. Still he keeps his hood low as he enters the grounds and knocks on the office door.

The guard on duty is surprised to see him, clearly recognizing him, and Fell approves as the surprise turns to wariness.

"Can I help you," The guard says, his hand moving slightly, probably towards a silent call button.

Fell chuckles, "I'm just bringing these back," He places the armor he's hauled in a box this whole way onto the desk, "And also, if you could deliver this to my brother at Undyne's lab," reluctantly he slides the carefully folded old jacket across the desk.

The guard relaxes, but only slightly, "O-okay, thank you."

"Don't damage the jacket," Fell growls as he leaves, even if it is an empty threat at this point. Then again they were delivering the jacket to Red so maybe it wasn't all that empty.

Fell's thoughts turn inward as he walks and even though his senses remain on high alert mentally he begins to prepare himself for what comes next.

If he fails he'll at least make sure to take the machine down with him and with Stretch destroying the entry area on this end in a few hours hopefully that will at least dissuade Gaster from further pursuit. Even if the bastard does make another machine. 

After all, if he fails Gaster will have plenty of test subjects available back home still, Fell himself included. In fact, he'll probably be Gaster's first subject as a bit of revenge. 

If that happens and realistically it could, Fell is not naive enough to kid himself about his chances of escape or even survival. However, currently he does hold at least one advantage over Gaster that could ensure his victory if he plays the game right.

Gaster doesn't know Fell knows who the experiment is and Gaster doesn't know that Royal Guard Fell, Captain of Snowdin is only one of many identities Fell has been trained to wear. And it's this training Fell has to call upon now. Gaster can't detect the bubbling malice and intent Fell feels boiling over inside until the last possible second.

He reaches the city limits faster then he thought possible. Beyond the dim night lights the rest of the cavern is still unclaimed by monster kind and yawns before him, barren except for the occasional stalactite or stalagmite. Turning Fell looks back at the city, the universe he's leaving behind and feels a deep pang in his soul.

The emotion has become all too familiar in his short time here.

Sighing Fell closes his sockets, turning away and pushing down the longing, regret and even affection he feels welling up inside. He beats down everything, including his malice towards Gaster and mentally slips on a suitable mask.

He spends the rest of the walk to the caverns edge and the hidden cave there preparing his mind for his next move. Just like Undyne taught him. His Undyne.

By the time he reaches the hidden cave and pulls the tracking device Gaster originally gave him from his belt he seems no longer angry. No intent drips from his bones, no regret at the thought of leaving. Instead he replaces these things with worry and even a touch of fear. Suitable enough for someone who's failed.

Flicking the signal button on the trackers' side Fell only waits a few moments before he hears the faint whirr of a camera lens somewhere above him in the dark. He waits several soul beats longer, 'Maybe he won't open it without Red,' and wouldn't that just be a stroke of luck. Gaster abandoning him as useless. That would certainly solve things neatly.

But that's not what happens. Instead a tear opens in thin air at the back of the cave, slowly at first. It wobbles and weaves, worse than when Fell first came through until finally it seems to stabilize though the edges shake. The other side shows a clear image of Gaster's lab, where the scientist stands across the room at his control panel, disappointment worn openly on his face. 

Fell steps through the still slightly shaky rift and isn't surprised when it slams shut behind him. The machinery at his back beginning to smoke and splutter as it shuts down.

"Well that's done it," Gaster huffs, "Where is the experiment Papyrus?"

Fell shakes his head, "Unfortunately it caused some damage and the locals destroyed it before I could corral it. It seems it never returned to the docile state you were expecting."

"A pity," Gaster replies but there is no sympathy in his voice, only barely concealed frustration, "Sans was a good lab partner." He adds, almost as an afterthought, "While you've been gone," And he stresses gone like it's a dirty word, "I attempted to heal him. Sadly my efforts only delayed the inevitable, however, he is finally conscious."

Feigning relief isn't easy, in fact if Fell had less control of his emotions in this moment he'd have blown his cover from the swell of his suppressed anger. Instead he casts his eye-lights downward, the picture of familial despair, "Please, may I see him since he's awake?"

Gaster seems to mull on his decision momentarily, but in truth Fell can tell he's already decided. It's faint, just a glint in his eye sockets but it's enough to know that he's taken the bait, even before he says "Who am I to deny a final farewell?" He moves away from the controls and beckons Fell, "Follow me."

And Fell does.

Internally Gaster is boiling over, and barely managing to keep it suppressed. How had he miscalculated the dosage on Sans so badly? Then again, he concedes to himself, that last injection was in the middle of a fight and hardly his usual precision work. But he'd thought for sure it would've wiped Sans mind and left him completely docile, ready for imprinting.

He'd even considered giving Sans to the guard as a present provided he had no other uses like breaking the actual barrier. Mainly because it would've been sadistically pleasing to see his little test subject be nothing more than an obedient dog.

Maybe they'd have even given him to Papyrus and wouldn't that just have been a deliciously cruel irony.

Sadly that wasn't meant to be and it was quite possible that maybe the dosage had been fine but perhaps he'd damaged Sans in the fight more then he'd intended. Perhaps that was what had left him nothing more then a feral animal.

Then again, Gaster smiles slightly, being hunted down like an animal was a fitting fate as well. He wonders how many Sans took out before he was subdued. 'I'll have to ask Papyrus...but after he's restrained and perhaps made a little more willing to talk.'

It's a snap decision for Gaster regarding which lab he'll use to cage his new toy but as he turns the corner of the hallway he is brought up short by a sharp pain running straight through his spine, into his rib cage and through his very soul. Out the other end of his lab coat is a long, thin blade of bone and he watches in morbid fascination as his fingertips crack. Flakes of dust beginning to fall to the floor as he gasps for air he's never actually needed.

Papyrus pulls him close from behind, hissing, his malice and intent finally laid bare, "That's for my brother you sick bastard."

Fell drops Gaster and watches the scientist shatter into a million pieces of dust across the tile floor. He kicks a few stray flakes off his shoe, and collapses against the wall with a shudder. The insane amount of experience from Gaster's level and his own malice rips through him. As he fights with the sensation Fell is dumbfounded that this plan actually worked. That Gaster had been arrogant enough not to suspect Fell was lying. 

A pained laugh bubbles up as his adrenaline crashes hard and his hands shake as he reaches for his cell phone which works now that it's in his home dimension.

Luckily Fell knows the number by heart.

"Undyne," He says when she picks up, cutting her off before she can start to question where the hell he's been for over a week. He's proud that his voice just barely shakes, "That lizard monster you met in Hotland, the one you fancy. Has she any interest in being royal scientist? If so there's a job opening and she owes me a favor."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end. Or is it? :) Thank you guys for reading! I've been floored by all the lovely comments, likes and just general encouragement I've received. You've all been a wonderful audience. :)

**Author's Note:**

> A huge shout out to both Indulgence a hoy and Crazy Cat lady 713 who gave me awesome feedback and encouragement. :) Thank you both for the support!


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